Out of the Black
by Anthem of the Night
Summary: The Fifth Holy Grail War has arrived. The 7 have been summoned, and the Avenger has appeared. Now a dimwitted redhead, a female king, a tsundere, a mysterious bowman, and a possibly insane former Executioner have to defeat the remaining 5 Servants until they must battle amongst themselves. Fate is one very cruel mistress. (Sequel to Fate Zero: The Executioner) R&R
1. Chapter 1: Out of the Black

**Fate/Stay Night: Out of the Black**

* * *

"Do you understand Shirou?" Rin Tohsaka asked her red-headed classmate and fellow Master. Shirou, still looking like a dear stuck in the headlights, shook his head no. She has explained the basics of how a Servant worked and why he was at a disadvantage, but this entire thing was still completely insane to him. A fight to the death? Masters? Servants? It was making the boys head spin trying to wrap it around all of this new information.

Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll say it as simply as possible. You are a Master in a ritual where Masters summon Servants to fight. You happened to summon the strongest Servant, Saber." She explained, not hiding her frustration. "But, there also the other knight classes, Archer and Lancer, and the rest of the classes, Rider, Caster, Berserker, Assassin, and Avenger, The Irregular." Shirou raised a eyebrow at 'Irregular', and asked what that meant. Neither mage noticed how Saber tensed up at the mention of the final Class.

"It means that Avenger is just that, irregular and strange. The first Avenger appeared during the Third War being summoned by the Einzberns, and it was thought to be a one time event, however another Avenger appeared during the last War, as result, it's regarded as a official Class." She went to pour herself another cup of tea, but discovered the pot was empty and crawled to the one on the heater nearby. "Avenger doesn't need a Master to maintain itself in the world due to a special ability. They also have the abilities of two classes, and have an obsession with getting revenge. The Third Grail Wars Avenger was one of the first Servants to be eliminated, but the last one made it to the final three Servants remaining." She finished with a huff, before spying a jealous look at Saber.

" _A nobody with almost no magical talent managed to summon Saber instead of me! The heir to Tohsaka family at the near peak of my Mana where the leylines converged!"_ She grumbled to herself, on the borderline of throwing a temper tantrum to get her frustration out. That was, until her Servant spoke to her through their link.

" _Master, something's happening in the shed."_ Archer said simply, causing the Tohsaka to jerk up and run out of the dining room, and outside into the courtyard. Shirou and Saber instinctively followed behind her, Shirou still wondering on what the hell was happening. Archer stood in the center of the courtyard, standing in a neutral position with his two curved swords in his hands.

A loud crackling and a bright glow was coming out of his sheds open doorway. The glow was similar to when he had inadvertently summoned Saber, but it felt far more violent to him. As if his energy itself was being sapped from his body, and that he was staring into the Sun itself.

A sound that made him feel like hundreds of nails were being jackhammered into his skull followed, making him cover his ears and squeeze his eyes shut. He expected a boom or some other loud sound to happen afterwards, but it stopped at the flip of a coin, and a deadly silence settled over the area.

A faint murmuring could be heard from inside the shed, accompanied by light footsteps. When the figure walked out, his hands had been slung behind his head and he was taking large steps, but he had stopped with one foot raised, and a his mouth hanging open when he looked at the Masters and Servants.

The person who walked out was a giant, standing taller than Archer by more than a inch, wearing a torn up set of white robes with cloth wrapped around his hands and his bare feet. He appeared to be in his early to mid thirties, but the way he stood and the dumb expression on his face gave him a much younger feeling. His eyes were both covered, a black cloth on his right and a white one on his left. His white hair fell to his shoulder blades, and several strands were in his face.

After several seconds of him standing in that strange manner, he slowly put his foot down, and put his two hands in a T formation, and spoke with a surprisingly deep voice. "Timeout? If you could please? It's a tiny bit unfair for me to freshly summoned and have to fight two Servants in one go?" He pleaded with a weak smile on his face as he let out a nervous chuckle. He maintained that uneasy grin until he looked at Saber, and his face grew stern.

"If you still want to attack me, I will only fight the blonde, she and I have a score to settle." He pointed towards Saber, his voice turning dark. "You are still a devout believer in honor and glory, even though the last time we saw each other I thought I stopped your cycle of pain and suffering." A shortsword materialized in his right hand, and Shirou unknowingly took in every detail.

It was silver, with anti magic properties. The hilt was plain, a lump of metal covered in white cloth. The blade was heavily scratched, but it still seemed to be sturdy all throughout. The man swung the blade in two wide arcs, before aiming the tip towards Saber.

"As my role of Avenger, I will see that both myself and others are avenged from their deaths at the hands of fools." He said, before slowly stepping forwards, the blade dragging behind him. Saber slowly walked forward as well, her sword held out to her side. Shirou tried to stop her, but he faltered. He could feel the raw determination coming from his Servant, he knew that if he attempted to stop her he would get nowhere fast. She wasn't going to stop for anyone, not even for her Master.

Avenger bolted forward, stabbing at Sabers face, who narrowly blocked with her blade. Her blade slid down Avengers, sending a fountain of sparks flying. Her blade stuck fast into Avengers handguard, forcing the fighters into a stalemate.

Avenger had a strange expression on his face. Confusion, annoyance, and anger all were visible. Sabers face showed the refined look of a person who had fought in battles for years, her mouth in a thin line and her green eyes sharp.

Avenger flicked the wrist of his free hand, and another sword settled into his grip. He aimed for the small gap inbetween her chest and backplates, and buried his blade in her side. However, he didn't push the blade any further than only to draw blood. He gave the blade a quick twist before jumping backwards with the blades dissolving and a scowl aimed at Shirou.

"Boy, why are you not providing sufficient Mana to your Servant? If she was at her true strength she would have taken my head off. If you continue with this, I will refuse to actually try to fight." He said with his arms crossed over his chest, his glare burning a hole through Shirous head.

" _How much mana is he providing her?"_ He focused his mind, and was shocked from what he saw. Despite the boy having a fair amount of mana circuits and enough mana to spare, not a drop was going to Saber. No Master was ignorant enough to completely cut off mana to their Servant, which could only mean that she… _"An improper summoning?!"_ And on top of all that, she was tethered to a weak magus who obviously had no idea what was going on.

"Goddamnit! Shit Shit Shitty Shit!" Avenger swore loudly with his hands over his face, before letting out a yell of defeat that lasted for well over twenty seconds. "I can't kill you when you're this laughably weak! That wouldn't prove anything!" He yelled to the sky before starting another set of swearing that could make the Devil blush, while the Servants watched on blankly and the Masters stood confused.

"This can't be happening to me…" Avenger muttered to himself with his head pressed against the wall of the shed he had appeared from only minutes prior.

He jerked his head up before yelling to the sky in multiple languages, some of which was in German letting Rin gain some insight into what exactly he was saying, which was ranging from "Why!" to "Go screw yourself with a pitchfork!".

Archer felt compelled to eliminate the Servant during his deranged rant, however, he was far to intrigued by how already, this Grail War was differing from his own. In his there never was an eighth Servant, and he seemed to be…..special. Even though was now on the ground in a ball, crying. Not the "silent tears rolling down your face" crying, full on ugly crying. Snot, scrunched up face, the whole deal.

After Avengers multiple mood swings, he sat cross legged in the middle of the courtyard, no evidence that he had just cursed, cried, and punched himself in the forehead multiple times. He calmly looked at the two teenagers, prompting Rin to speak. "Well, now that your little temper tantrum is over, the next logical course of action would be to register both Shirou and Avenger for the War. Provided of course, that you don't seek to injure either of us or our Servants." Avenger cocked his head at "registering". There had been no mention of registering in the Fourth War, and it sounded strange.

The Holy Grail Wars were designed to be completely secret and to be unknown by anyone. Trying to find the Master that served in a War was difficult, finding a Servant was practically impossible if you didn't know first hand. So him having to go to a place and flat out announce that he was there sounded like they were begging for an ambush.

When he returned his focus on the group, he saw that Shirou seemed to be trying to win the World Record for Longest Confused Look on a Person's Face, Saber was glaring at him in such a way that made him feel like he was in a lions den, Rin seemed to be trying to figure who he was like her Servant, however her face showed little to no malice, unlike Tall Dark and Handsome over there, who had a fearsome scowl on his face.

Avengers sexual preferences and Archer/Beefcake aside, Avenger quickly clapped his hands together. "Alright, you heard the tiny mage, let's go!" He said pointing forward, before dissipating into Spirit Form.

"Tiny?!" Rin yelled to thin air, while Avengers distant chuckling could be heard. Saber still didn't care for a word that cane out of the Servants mouth, it was a farce and nothing more, all to lure her Master into a false sense of security so he could easily eliminate him when his back was turned. _"Others will fall for his lie, but by my duty as a Servant and a knight I will eliminate this threat as soon as I am able."_ She thought with her hand tightening into a fist.

" _You're very intimidating Saber, with your clenched up fist and stern expression, you have me shaking in my boots, but I recommend either covering up or replacing your medieval battle armor with literally anything else."_ Avengers voice rang out from the air, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard.

" _Then again you could probably pass off as a cosplayer, I think that it's pretty popular in Japan. Or maybe we can just throw a blanket over her and have the redhead carry her over his shoulder. Just, just do something to hide the fact you are a hero of legend summoned to fight in a magical war."_ Avenger briefly materialized and shrugged, before vanishing again. Saber scowled and Shirou nodded slightly before walking into his house to see if he had a big jacket or something of the like.

* * *

"Okay, I know I said to cover her up, but that," Avenger said, jabbing his thumb at the bright yellow raincoat Saber now wore. "-just looks ridiculous. She probably would stand out less if she wore her armor." Avenger commented again as they walked to the Church, Rin sincerely wishing he would go back into Spirit Form and shut the hell up.

Even though getting a cab at this time was a slim chance it would have been nice if they actively looked for one, which the two magi did not. He never understood why mages were so anti-modern technology, didn't make a lot of sense in his opinion. Well, to give the boy credit he actually interacted with modern objects if the pieces of junk he stubbed his toe on when he summoned himself was any indication.

He then realized he didn't even know their names, he had just been mentally referring to them as "Dopey" and "Tsundere". "Hey, girl in red jacket. What are your names?" He asked bored as he slung his arms over his shoulders and clasped the back of his head.

The girl wearing red made some strange huffing noise before glaring at the Servant. "I am Rin Tohsaka, the current head of the Tohsaka clan. And that idiot there is Shirou Emiya." She said with a glare that could cut diamond aimed at Shirou and Saber, but more so towards the boy and she seemed to have a longing look in her gaze at Saber.

However, Avenger hadn't paid attention enough to see that, all he heard was those names. Tohsaka, and Emiya. The names shared by a coward mage who tried to justify their stupidity and the only man that even resembled Avenger in his ways. Avenger was ecstatic, he had proved the parents ignorance and stupidity, and now he could use all he knew to bend their children to his will.

He realized he was smirking, and quickly wiped it off to replace it with a yawn. "Aren't the Tohsakas a big deal or something? The name rings a bell or two." He said lazily, slouching forward with his arms now at his sides.

"They are a very big deal! They are one of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War." Rin yelled flustered. "Alright alright don't get your panties in a twist about it. I died before the Holy Grail even existed so don't blame me for not knowing the name of a single mage family, sheesh." Avenger grumbled back. "Also, how much longer do we have to walk! Do you not have a magical butler with a car or a flying carpet so we can actually get there this month?" Avenger said loudly with his arms waving around in circles.

"It's not that much further, and you're a Servant! You could have been there much earlier!" Rin yelled back.

"Well maybe I was trying to be a gentleman and walk the young woman to the place because it's the middle of the night!"

"I don't need a babysitter, I'm a Magus! And especially if the babysitter is my enemy!"

"Now you're just being rude! Who said I was going to attack you? Maybe I wanted a alliance that lasted longer than a single night? What do you have to say to respond to that?!"

Shirou looked on as his classmate argued with a man that stood heads and shoulders above her, and appeared to be actually winning. He glanced at Saber, noticing that she still wore a blank face, but seemed to be shedding glances at Avenger, who was currently standing with his arms in front of him like has trying to calm down a wild animal, the animal being an angry Rin Tohsaka.

"Alright Alright! Just calm the hell down before I have to take a eyepatch off and tie it around your mouth so you will stop yelling!" Avenger said, his terrified expression quickly changing into a snarky grin. "Oh, would you look at that. We are only a hop and skip away from the church now. I guess talking to a girl with anger issues is a great way to pass the time." Avenger said loudly before walking triumphantly forward singing some weird song in another language.

"Could you please go into Spirit Form until we are inside the Church! Someone is going to hear your voice!" Rin yelled even louder than Avenger had. He stopped, spun around on his heel, leaned down to Rins height, and looked into her eyes with a deadset expression. "No." He said seriously, before spinning around again and resuming his walk and song as if nothing had happened.

Rin growled and pulled her hair once he had turned around, making sure the Servant knew how much she was pissing her off. _"If you want, I can eliminate him now. A quick arrow to the head and he's dead in the water."_ Archer said through their link.

" _No, we still may be able to find something useful in an alliance with him. But keep watch, he may still be dangerous."_ She replied silently, wishing that she could order Archer to take the annoying Servants head off.

" _As you command Rin."_ He replied, still giving Avenger a careful look. He move a inch to hurting Rin, he's gone. If he comes close to killing Shirou however, Archer may "accidentally" slip up and miss.

Avenger continued his song and walk, sometimes jumping up and clapping his hands with a imaginary chorus, but stopped at the gate and sat down. His goofy expression had changed to one more solemn than any face he had worn that night.

"You can bring Shirou inside, just tell the Overseer that I'm here. Churches and priests give me the willies." He said simply, a sword appearing in his left hand as he started to examine it, more so out of a need for a distraction than an actual need to check his weaponry.

"So be it, come one Shirou. The fake priest is inside." Rin said, earning a stiff nod from Shirou as he followed close behind her. Avenger glanced towards the two, before noticing Saber standing several yards away.

"Trying to avoid Kotomine too?" He asked, but he spoke before she could reply. "I'm doing the same. That man truly disgusts me, no regards for anything other than torturing others for sick pleasure. Probably why everything happened the way it did those years ago." He said, letting the Black Key he had been holding dematerialize.

He gave Saber another look, and saw that she hadn't responded or moved since he had started. He smiled slightly before continuing. "Sheesh Saber, didn't picture you as the type of person to leave someone hanging. I understand that you do have resentment towards me, with the whole killing Lancelot situation, but in my eyes I consider you an ally."

"We do have differing ideals and desires, but I do believe we could have something similar to a alliance or friendship during this War." Avenger said with the raise of his hand, offering it to shake. "Ever since I showed up I've had this feeling in my gut, that not everything is at its seems. The last time I betrayed by gut my adopted daughter was murdered and I was tortured half to death before being burned alive." He took off his left eyepatch, revealing his crimson eye.

"I never want to betray my instincts again. So all I ask is for the two of us to figure out if something is wrong with the War, and then the two of us can fight not as a knight and a Executioner, but as two Heroic Spirits." He offered, shaking his hand slightly.

Saber sighed before hesitantly grabbing his hand, shaking it slightly. "I suppose that would be fair." She said before her voice became stern. "Do not take this lightly, I only do this out of respect for my Master, and he needs as much assistance as possible." Avenger laughed slightly before freeing his hand to tie his eyepatch again. "Yeah, you kinda got stiffed in that department. But hey, maybe the little guy has a few tricks up his sleeve."

Avenger noticed the ghost of a smile on Sabers face, and smiled back. He heard footsteps approach, and turned to see Rin and Shirou walking back from the Church. "How it'd go? Did everything check out?" Avenger asked, which Rin nodded in reply. "He said he was disappointed that you come yourself, but I doubt he actually meant it." Rin replied, cringing slightly at the thought of her supposed "mentor and guardian".

"Thanks for going in on my behalf. If it comes down to it I'll avoid killing you until later." Avenger said while stretching his back out. "Man, asphalt is definitely not a good thing for your butt to be on." He said before walking down the driveway that led to the church.

"Oh, yeah and Shirou? I offered a alliance to Saber, but you have the final verdict in those regards." Avenger said, before stretching his hand out to Shirou. "Do you, Shirou Emiya, wish to enter a alliance with me, Ave-" Avenger said before snapping his head up the hill along with Rin.

Standing in the light of a streetlight, was a young girl with red eyes and white hair, wearing a purple winter jacket, skirt, and hat, smiling. Avenger tensed aromatically when he saw her. This girl was far more than she appeared, and something was coming. Something big.

"It looks like you finally summoned your Servant Onii-chan."


	2. Chapter 2: Madman?

**Madman?**

* * *

 **Neema Amiry:** _Shit is going down._ **That's a understatement**

"Well damn, that is one hell of a Servant." Avenger said lamely as he focused his eyes in the giant that stood behind the little girl. His eyes could easily see through the dark, and the giants skin was dark gray and it looked like stone plates were protruding from his elbows. He was wearing nothing but a giant leather skirt with bracelets around his wrists and ankles. In his right hand he carried a slap of rock shaped into a sword-axe.

"Listen, I have a strategy to use against him. Archer will provide support fire with his bow, and Saber will be the main offense, however I need to know Avengers abilities to figure out where we could use him effectively." Rin said, her own eyes reinforced to look at the behemoth.

"I will be most useful alongside Saber." Avenger said bluntly, his back straight and his face scrunched up in a slight scowl. He whistled over to Shirou, and looked back at him. "If I were you, I'd run as fast as your legs can carry you, but if you wish to fight with us, you better fully comprehend that you could die right here, right now. Understand?"

He didn't wait for an answer as he turned back towards the girl and her Servant. She giggled and smiled. "My name is Illiya, short for Illiyasviel Von Einzbern. You should recognize that, right Tohsaka?" She asked, her smile never fading.

"But, now that all the introductions are out if the way, let's get onto killing you!" She said far too happily for someone saying those words. "Now then Berserker, go get them."

Berserker roared before leaping into the air, spinning dramatically as he fell towards the group. Before he could reach them, what looked like red lights peppered his body, forcing him to go onto the defensive as he slashed the arrows with his sword and took the blows with his chest, none even scratching his skin.

One particularly strong arrow smashed into his chest, releasing a massive blast that sent pieces of earth flying through the air. Shirou and Rin both ran forward to investigate Berserker's condition. As the smoke cleared, Berserker was revealed, injured and growling.

Before anyone could react, he had jumped out and was bringing his blade onto Shirous head, prompting Saber to run and block the attack with her own invisible blade.

Six silver blurs slammed into Berserkers back, leaving no visible wounds on the skin underneath. Avenger stood behind Tohsaka his fingers spreading as more Black Keys appeared in his hands.

Berserker growled again before bringing his blade up to smash it down again to be met with ground as Saber leapt out of range. He charged forward again as Avenger followed, the shadows around his feet beginning to twitch. He dropped two of his Keys to disappear, as he focused his Prana into his two remaining blades as he jumped over Shirou and kept running.

The blades grew longer and thicker, the blades also gaining sharpness and a boost to its enchantment. He chased after the two Servants with murderous intent practically pouring from his body.

He ran into a open field with the street running above on a hill alongside it. Avenger watched as Saber dodged Berserker's blade, before jumping on top of it and slashing her sword towards Berserkers neck. Berserker quick as a bullet flipped backwards and began to assault Saber with his bare hands.

Avenger took opportunity of the distraction and jumped behind Berserker and slashed in a X shape, not leaving a dent or injury in his iron thick skin as the blades shattered.

Avenger gasped as he frantically tried to readjust his momentum to leap of Berserkers back, but he wasn't fast enough as he got the full force of Berserkers strike with the flat of his blade. Avenger felt multiple ribs shatter as he was sent reeling backwards into a light post, bending it at a crooked angle.

He coughed up blood as he cradled his chest, trying to prevent his innards from becoming his outtards. He heard Berserkers roar as he leapt closer, intending to finish the attack. Avenger could hear the whistle from the blade coming, and frantically threw himself to the side, the impact from the stone sword reverberating through his teeth.

He got onto his feet and leaped as far as he could from Berserker, and could hear Saber start to duel with him again. Avenger prodded his chest carefully, and had to catch his breath as he felt the bone move. He summoned a set of Keys and threw then at Berserker, and grimaced as they shattered on his skin.

" _His skin alone is strong enough to resist a C rank Noble Phantasm, and he's faster than both me and Saber. How in the actual hell are going to kill him!"_ Avenger thought angrily as he tried throwing six more Keys, Berserker swatting down two that went close to his head as the others broke again.

" _Wait a minute."_ He thought as he leapt through tree branches with Berserker smashing through everything in his way to give chase. Avenger began mentally warring against Berserker, thinking about his attack patterns, the dodging strategies, the foresight that Berserker seemed to posses, and compiled it in a mental note. And if he wasn't busy trying to not hit a tree or get hit by Berserker, he would have snapped his fingers.

He landed in a graveyard next to the church and summoned a Black Key while overcharging it, the blade transforming into more of a sharpened club than anything else, and looked back at the roaring titan of muscle with a small blonde trying to take him down, and threw his blade towards Berserkers open mouth using his personal favorite technique, the Iron Plate Effect.

* * *

Now, as the blade flies towards Berserkers mouth, let's review what exactly the Iron Plate Effect is, and why exactly Berserker can block Excalibur with his bare skin. The Iron Plate Effect when used by a Executioner can increase the throwing power of the Black Keys to make them, and I quote: "allow them to bore through even reinforced concrete walls and hit an enemy with enough force to be likened to being struck by a car."

Surprisingly, this not an enchantment or something done to the key itself. It is actually just a throwing technique that gives the weapon that unique effect, but it is not alone, the other techniques include:

 **Cremation Rite** , which sets the target on fire

 **Internment Rite** , causes petrification of the target

 **Mummification Rite** , drains all of the water out of the target (keep in mind the human body is 70% water. Doesn't paint a pretty picture)

 **Excarnation Rite** , which causes CROWS of all things to attack the target.

And for those unaware, Berserker is the owner of the Noble Phantasm: _God Hand_. This essentially grants him the ability to die multiple times and...actually, here's the wiki description because I can't explain anything even if my life was on the line:

"Differing from simply tough armor that will endure attacks and eventually wither under the damage, God Hand applies a conceptual defense based upon ranks, a "'law' of immortality created from abnormal amounts of magical energy." It defends against all attacks B-rank and lower, regardless of the attack being physical or magical in nature. It also grants the effect of automatic regeneration, including resurrection after death, reviving him with a stock of eleven extra lives through layered resurrection magic."

In conclusion: It makes him one tough son of a bitch to take down. For those that remember, Avenger can summon the Black Keys due to his Noble Phantasm: _Headsman's Blades_ , which is C rank. But, if you consider that he overcharged it past its limits, is using a throwing style that enables a human person able to shred through concrete, and is throwing in a place unprotected by Berserkers armor like skin.

It means that it may get, rather...messy in 3

2..

...and 1

* * *

The Black Key slammed into Berserkers mouth, tearing his jaw and face apart. As his head snapped reared back, the blade began to glow. All of the mana contained in the key was unleashed into Berserkers soft and unprotected brain and down his throat, blowing the top part of his head clean off and singeing his insides.

Avenger, after getting over the shock that it actually worked, quickly jumped up with his fists punching the air as he let out a whoop. "Yeah! Eat it you big muscly bastard! Who would've thought that I would be the one to kill him!" He yelled out before looking at a gawking Saber.

"I am impressed Avenger. For you to have slain the strongest Servant is impressive for someone of your skills." Saber complimented. Avenger was about to ask what she meant by "his skills" but what he saw happening to Berserker got him to shut his mouth rather quick.

Berserker wasn't dead. His face was regenerating, fast. Even with the top part of his skull blown off he was still somehow alive. Avenger was rather pissed to say the least.

"Can anything kill this bastard! His face got blown the hell off! Not even a Servant isn't supposed to survive that! Unless he has a 'Anti Face Explosion' Skill I'm calling BS!" Avenger yelled out as he ran his hands through his hair. He suddenly realized the scenario he was in.

A Berserker, and one that made Lancelot look like a toddler being compared to a body builder at that, wasn't dead and was coming back to life after he blew it's head off. And he was going to be very angry and most likely want revenge. And his target was a Masterless Servant who was running out of mana and tricks up his sleeve. Avenger gulped before abruptly grabbing Saber and throwing her over his shoulder before running.

"The hell are you doing Avenger! Unhand me at once!" Saber yelled into Avengers ear. "Oh quiet princess, we only have several seconds to get as far possible from him before he gets up. And you need to keep your energy up because you aren't getting resupplied from your Master." Avenger growled back.

"So pipe down and enjoy the ri-" Avenger said before he was pushed onto the ground by a massive foot slamming into his back. Saber fell along with him, landing on top of Avenger, making his already injured spine feel like it was on fire.

Avenger frantically turned himself around and tried to untangle himself from Sabers battledress, but he saw Berserker preparing to strike with his sword. Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, Avenger was summoning four Black Keys and pulling his arm back to throw them, Saber was trying to deflect Berserkers weapon with her own, but neither of them were fast enough.

Avenger knew he was going to die, closing his eyes wouldn't change anything, so he was forced to watch as Berserker brought it down. Only for the attack to never come, and it wasn't a Servants blood that splashed over his face.

Shrou Emiya had taken the blow.


	3. Chapter 3: Normalcy is Weird

**Normalcy is Weird**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Albertrojas:** _*Like an Assassin with A Presence Concealment, lurking in the shadows, waiting for a prey(update).*_

Wut.

* * *

"Speaking"

" _Thinking"_

Different Language

" **Berserker Speaking"**

 **Powerful Spell or Noble Phantasm**

* * *

Shirou tore through the forest, trying to find Saber. He had to help, he couldn't stand feeling this useless. He had to do something, anything to help.

He heard trees crashing down, and a inhuman roar before it was cut off by a explosion, and stumbled over roots as he chased after it. He didn't know where anyone was, Saber and Avenger had fought with Berserker before they lured him into the woods, and Rin had chased after that little girl that called him "Onii-Chan" for reasons unknown. But all he cared about was trying to help them in any way possible.

That's why when he saw that giant about to hit Saber and Avenger who had fallen on top of each other, he didn't hesitate in jumping in the way of the blade and taking the injury. It felt like a thousand nails had been stabbed in a straight line down his shoulder. His body convulsed before fainting, and he remembered nothing more of the first official battle of the Fifth Fuyuuki Grail War.

In his state of unconsciousness, he dreamed. Dreamed of a hill of swords, the sun beating down as clouds passed by in a place seemingly frozen in time, each and every blade was different in shape and size, some were rusted and broken while others were clean and sharp, each ones designs and difference radiating in his mind.

He jerked himself awake with a start, wondering on what that hill was. He had never seen it in his life, but it felt oddly familiar to him, like a place he had been before.

He suddenly realized that he wasn't alone, and jerked his head to reveal Rin Tohsaka watching him. As he slept. When he was injured. Like a creep. Reacting like your average teenage boy would, he jumped a foot in the air and backed away while screaming.

"Tohsaka!" Shirou yelled startled.

"It looks like you've healed nicely." Rin said calmly with a smile.

"Wha-What are you doing in my house?!" Shirou asked, extremely thankful that his little soldier wasn't doing its morning salute.

"You think you just teleported here after you jumped in front of Berserker? I brought you back here after you were injured along with your Servant and Avenger, despite the fact that we're enemies." Run said with a authoritative tone whilst crossing her arms.

"Speaking of which, I'm impressed that a incompetent mage like you not only summoned Saber, but have self healing magic as well." Rin said, remembering the events earlier that morning.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

"Where the hell does this bastard keep a needle!" Avenger yelled as he tore through the cupboards of the house. After tearing Shirous cupboard apart, he ran to the kitchen and came back with a small medkit. He rifled through it before finding a small needle and thread.

Quicker than Rin could track he had tied the needle and was now preparing to stitch Shirous shoulder back together, but all three of the rooms occupants froze at what happened next. Shirous wound _pulled_ itself together, sealing almost entirely.

They all gawked at it before Avenger dropped the needle and grabbed gauze. "Full of surprises, aren't you Shirou Emiya?" He said amused before wrapping it around his shoulder.

* * *

 _Flashback End_

* * *

"Speaking of which, where are they? Saber and Avenger that is." Shirou asked.

"I know that Saber is in the manor somewhere, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. However Avenger is in the next room recovering. From what he said Berserker kicked him in the back and he needed rest." Rin stated, before she pointed her finger and started to yell.

"And you should be thankful that I decided to not kill him or you while you both were injured because it wouldn't be fair taking neither him or you while you both are injured. Guess I still have some emotional flab to deal with." Rin said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Emotional Flab? Do you think you're fat or something?" Shirou asked, and both magi heard a loud snort come from behind the sliding door. Avenger poked his head in the room, laughing like a idiot. He had changed into something more comfortable when he returned to the house, wearing only a set of gray sweatpants he had stolen from a closet, and a large brown blanket over his shoulders, wearing it like a cloak.

"Did you seriously just ask a girl _that_? The question that ninety percent of the time ends in a kick to the jewels and a slap to the face?" He wheezed out before laughing so hard he fell onto his back, eliciting a quiet 'ow' from the Servant. He looked back at the mages, and suddenly got a horrific feeling of dread.

Rin was smiling, but not in a friendly happy way. This reminded him of a sociopath smiling as they shoved their fingers in someone's eye sockets, a housecat toying with a mouse before tearing it apart. There was no kindness or sweetness behind this smile, it was a smile of death and destruction. "You two are really funny, you know?" Rin said wither eyebrow twitching.

Both Shirou and Avenger let out unmanly screams as they both rapidly backed up, Shirou bumping against his dresser and Avenger scrambling backwards, leaving his blanket behind as he slipped and fell the small height difference between the porch and the ground.

Rim stood up, wiped imaginary dirt off her jacket, and left with a ominous warning about how she was now their enemy and to be on guard next time they saw her. Avenger waved her off before sitting cross legged in Shirous room while the other male removed his bandages. Avenger coughed suddenly, and gestured for Shirou to come closer. Avenger stood up and started inspecting where the injury occurred, and gawked at what he saw.

"Their isn't even a scar. I had decent healing abilities when I was alive but everything still left some sort of scar behind." Avenger said mostly to himself as he tried prodding where he had only wrapped up hours prior, but it just felt like flesh.

Shirou looked over his shoulder at the taller man, but stopped and stared once he realized that his eyepatches were gone, and what his eyes looked like underneath. His left eye had burns around it, while the iris was a red so dark it looked black, while his right eye looked like a mosaic, his pupil and sclera one and the same, only serving to make his pupil look even darker.

Avenger noticed the boys staring, but didn't seem to care, and shrugged. "We all have something weird about us, you have dormant healing magic and I have weird eyes. No biggie. But if I may make a small request?" Avenger asked. Shirou nodded, and Avenger put his arms up in a stretch before replying.

"Stop staring. I only was making sure my bandaging had held up, while you're just being weird" Avenger said, prompting Shirou to apologize.

"I'm sorry Avenger-san. I'll try not to look at your eyes in the future." Shirou said bowing slightly before he felt Avenger flick the back of his head.

"Oh quit it you dingbat. You keep bowing and apologizing all the time you'll bust something. And cut out with the san and kun crap, it's unnecessary." Avenger said before yawning loudly and shuffling out of the room. "Go talk to Saber or something. I need a nap."

Avenger opened the sliding door to the room he had claimed for himself. It was more of a linen closet than a room, but he had slept in worse. He realized that his hands were shaking, but ignored it.

With his injury, he didn't want to risk anything with it. He discovered that night that his spine was broken, but he could still move thanks to the shadows inside of him. Entering Spirit Form would mean that the physical shadows wouldn't be able to keep him up, and he had no idea how his injury would react in the non physical world.

But as he was conscious, more energy was being drained. The only other option was sleep, and he hated sleep. Sleep was when all of your unwanted memories and inner demons you lock up are freed with no restraint on what they will do.

It was terrifying, but he had to do it. He laid down on the futon, curled up into a ball, and willed himself to sleep.

* * *

He opened his eyes again to see that he was sitting in a dark forest, the area surrounded in mist. Trees with burned wood surrounded him, the tops seeming to touch the sky, and a trees' stump was to his left.

He was seated at a out of place wooden desk, reading a book written in Latin. The book had no name, and it's contents weren't like any book that was written. On the pages were descriptions of magecraft and rituals involving human souls.

He flipped to the next page, and inspected the drawing at the top of the paper.

The drawing was strangely simple, a circle with the rune _Thurisaz_ in the center, but that particular runes meaning eluded him. He cast his eyes downwards, and read the small paragraph accompanying the picture.

 _Crest: The Crest of the Umbra family is unique in the regard that instead of having to be implanted gradually and slowly throughout the potential heirs youth, it can be implanted directly at any age, including before the child's birth. Not only is the compatibly chance remarkably high, it also doesn't require one heir._

 _If the family has twins and implants the Crest then, the two children will receive one half each, granting both children the ability to manipulate the First Miracle of Light and Dark. If the Crest is split, neither child will be able to access the advanced spells of shadows, but if they combine their efforts, spells well out of either child's grasp will be able to be used with ease._

 _The last official heir was a woman named Bellos Dolor Angelus Umbra, and she inherited the full Crest after her twin succumbed to disease. However, the Church had been searching for the family in order to eliminate them due to multiple murders of Executioners sent to investigate them._

 _Prior to the familys' fall, the young heir and a young Executioner had secretly fallen in love. After they secretly eloped when they were only 16 and 18, the family was attacked and destroyed. She was 17 and with child when she and her lover ran away._

 _However, the Executioner she loved was a sleeper agent, and killed her four months after their child was born. He brought the child back to the Church, and willingly was burned at the stake for the sin of consummating with a witch._

 _The child's story varies, some state that it was thrown in a river, others say it was put into another magic family that fed information about other mages in exchange for its continued existence, while another state it was raised as a weapon, used purely for hunting it's own kind._

"But each story remains consistent that the mother died in front of the infant, and each story says that it destroyed the ability for the child to ever have a fragment of normalcy." A female voice suddenly said from behind him, causing him to quickly jerk around and look at the intruder.

It was a young girl, a smile gracing her ivory colored face. Her curly black hair fell to her neck, she wore a silk nightgown, and her eyes were a rust colored brown.

"Welcome to, well actually where we are or what I am exactly, and I really don't care. All I know is that I've been in this forest for a long, long time." The girl said sweetly, absentmindedly tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Avenger raised a eyebrow at this figment of his imagination. He was prepared for a nightmare of pain and blood, but instead he got a book and a little girl. Strange.

"So you do not know what you even are? Understandable, and you say you have been here for long time, so can you explain," He waved his arm around, gesturing to the forest the two were in. "What this place is?"

"I am not really sure what this forest is, or what exactly that book is doing here either, all I know is that this place has existed for a very long time. Possibly hundreds or thousands of years, I don't know either, I don't know if time works properly here." The girl said before walking over to the stump and sitting on it, swinging her legs back and forth.

Avenger glanced down at the book in front of him, before picking it up and pointing at it. "This book, what is it and who is it talking about? Who created this place, and how am I here?" He asked, but the girl shrugged.

"Don't know, not sure, not a clue, and you being here surprised me too."

Avenger sighed and raked his hands through his hair, but when he opened his eyes he saw the ceiling of the room he had fallen asleep in. He growled at nothing in particular as a sharp pain in his head suddenly jolted through him.

He sat up, and pushed himself to the door, sliding it open to reveal Shirou with his hand raised to knock. "Oh, uh, good morning Avenger. Are you feeling better now?" Shirou asked awkwardly as he lowered his hand.

Avenger sighed as he popped his back. The bones and nerves had mostly reformed, but it'd be several more hours until he fully recovered. To Shirou, he simply said that he felt better.

Shirou nodded and smiled. "It's good that you're getting better. If you need more recovery time you can stay here while Saber and I bring Miss Fujimura lunch." Shirou offered, but Avenger declined, stating on how he should investigate the area where battles could possibly take place later on.

* * *

And that's why Saber, Avenger, and Shirou were all walking towards the archery club. Shirou had thrown on a jacket over his sweater, Saver was wearing clothes that Rin had lent them, and Avenger had, after searching through several boxes in Shirous shed, one of Kiritsugus' old grey button up shirts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of dress shoes coupled with the pants he had worn earlier.

He had managed to snag a medical eyepatch out of Shirous medkit and had put it over his right eye, with a red eye he could pass as an albino, a eye like his other would be slightly more difficult and a red flag for any mage.

They walked silently to the archery club, both Servants casting glances around the school, Avenger even closing his exposed eye in order to more accurately search for mana signatures, which confirmed Sabers suspicions on that mana residue was in the area, but Avenger warned it could become dangerous very quickly.

"Anyway, if anyone tries to talk to you Saber, don't say anything and just shake your head. It'd probably be better if you acted like you didn't know our language." Shirou ordered, and Avenger turned around while walking backwards so that he could speak face to face. "If I need to discuss something with Saber, we will talk in French."

Shirou stepped into the archery range, and was greeted by a certain purple haired girl, Sakura Matou. "Hey Sakura, I was just bringing Fuji-nee lunch. Could you let her know I'm here?" Shirou asked while Sakura peeked behind him.

She saw a girl, probably around her own age, with blonde hair where one strand stood straight up, with a face that was of European descent. Beside her was a tall white haired man with a eyepatch, his own skin scarred and his red eye surrounded by burn marks. He stood silently before he looked at the girl next to him, and crouched down to her height while she looked in the opposite direction.

He raised one of his hands and reached towards the loose strand, before trying to grab it, receiving a fist to his stomach from the small woman. He doubled over while gasping and backing away slowly, strangled laughter coming from his mouth.

"What was the meaning of that Avenger?" Saber questioned in French. Avenger raised his hands up in surrender while grinning. "Trying to see what made that strand specifically stand up. It's almost like it's magical or something." Avenger explained, before he gasped slightly and putting his hands together. "Is that the true source of your power Saber? A antenna to call upon your holy strength?! It must be! It explains everything!"

"What are you going on about you buffoon?" Saber questioned, only for her to have to deal with Avenger practically tackling her as he tried to grab that loose strand.

"I must have it! With your strength I'll take the Grail easily! Now give me your antenna of holy might!" Avenger screeched as he continued to grab at it.

Saber growled before aiming her foot at his...sword and, his stick and, *sigh*, she aimed for his dick before giving it a swift kick. Avenger froze, his entire body stiff as a board before abruptly falling to his knees and clutching his bits. Choked gasps and quiet sobbing came from the Servant as Shirou stared on wincing in sympathy.

Saber actually felt bad about hitting his, and every single person of the male sexs', weakest point. She only continued to feel that way for only around two seconds as Avenger abruptly stood up straight with no hint of pain on his face.

"That, that was a low blow sweetheart. You don't just hit a guy in the balls for trying to have fun. Well, unless his idea of fun is more perverted than mine. In that case, hit him as hard as possible." Avenger said, a sour expression on his face. "Now you must apologize for kicking me in the baguette and grapes."

"Baguette and grapes?" Saber questioned with her arms folded and her eyebrow raised. Avenger shrugged. "We're talking in French, may as well adopt the slang while we're at it." Avenger stated, before pointing an accusing finger at Saber.

* * *

"Sooooo, who's your friends Emiya?" Ayako asked. The archery captain asked intrigued as the tall albino continued to throw what sounded like accusations at the woman he dwarfed in what sounded like French.

"They are…" Shirou said before his voice rolled off once he realized that they hadn't created a backstory to explain the two Servants sudden appearance. Shirou scrambled before settling on what he hoped would convince his classmate. "They are siblings who knew my dad. Albinism runs in the family so that's why he looks like that. She was lucky and got away with just blonde hair and green eyes." Shirou explained nervously, hoping that Ayakos' knowledge of genetics was as bad as his.

Ayako frowned before narrowing her eyes at the two people who seemed to have stopped arguing, and had started speaking in low tones. "That makes sense, but if I was her, I wouldn't have apologized so quickly after kicking him in the nuts. I would hold it over his head that he was in a fetal position and crying for a while to torment them at the opportune moment." She said, causing Shirou to give her a worried look.

"You're a little sadistic you know?" Shirou asked, and Ayako just shrugged. "It's called being a sister, you get the privilege of humiliating your brother at any moment." She explained, a smirk on her face.

"Speaking of siblings, where did those two go?" Ayako suddenly said, making Shirou whirl his head back to the door to see that the two Servants had vanished.

"Crap."

* * *

"What exactly are we looking for Saber?" Avenger asked as they stepped into the entrance of the main building.

"Anything that has mana residue. You said that it could become dangerous very quickly, correct? If anything could possibly harm my Master I must eliminate it before it can get close." Saber stated, while Avenger sighed slightly.

She could not see that Shirou Emiya was broken, he couldn't say why or how he knew, he could just see it. A person who only lived for others, believing that either they had to or that they had a debt to pay to the world.

If it came down to it, Avenger could see Shirou ordering Saber to kill herself if it meant stopping another Master or stopping people's deaths. And if that came to be, Avenger would be there to pour salt in the wound.

Pulling himself out of his dark mind, he gazed down the school hallways, classrooms lining the halls. He heard a door open, and turned along with Saber to see a man in a dark suit stating from the middle of the hallway.

The man had a cold gaze, and his slightly wrinkled face appeared impassive to the intruders in the hallway. Avenger and Saber returned his silence with their own, neither side giving in.

This staredown continued until the mysterious man spoke. "If you wish to enroll your daughter here, you must remember that she will be a oddity. We don't get many foreigners here in Fuyuuki."

Despite the two Servants seemingly indifferent appearance to the mans words, both were mentally screaming at his assumption.

" _I can't look old enough to be the parent of a teenage girl? Right? The white hair does make me look older, but my youthful face should offset most people's assumptions, right?"_ Avenger thought as he suddenly had the urge to look in a mirror to see if his face was really that old looking.

" _I do understand him misinterpreting my age to be that of a young age due to pulling the sword from the stone stopped my psychical age from advancing. But he assumes this honorless man to be my father? He is no better than a rapid dog while I am the King of Knights! And we don't even have any resemblance!"_ Saber seriously considered screaming or punching something, preferably Avenger because she could say he was acting dumb again.

Shirou ran in, breathing heavily until he saw his teacher walking away and the Servants glaring holes into the mans back. "Saber, what are you doing in here?"

Saber broke from her thoughts with a shake of her head. "We were investigating the school for any risks to your safety Master." Saber said while looking at Avenger who met her gaze.

Both cringed slightly before Avenger started to walk off. Shirou looked down at Avengers feet and calling out to him. "We aren't supposed to wear shoes inside." Shirou said as he went to pick up a pair of slippers and hand them to Avenger.

But when he looked back up, Avenger was gone and his shoes were on the floor. _"I guess he took my sentence literally. What a strange man."_

* * *

After a long day of showing Saber around and trying to keep Avenger in check, (that man would accidentally kill himself if he was left unattended for two minutes), Shirou was walking back to his house with Fuji-nee and Sakura. Avenger was walking ahead of them, with Saber lagging behind the group.

"Soooo, Shirou? Who's your friends?" Fuji-nee asked. Shirou quickly remembered the backstory he had created, and told her.

"So they're siblings who knew Kiritsugu," She pointed at Avenger. "He has albinism and Kiritsugu helped him out before he adopted you, and they've both come because they have been looking for Kiritsugu to thank him and only recently found out that he's passed."

Shirou nodded along with the story he made up. It wasn't the best possible story, there were holes in it that could be exposed, but it should hold up for a while.

Fuji-nee cast a glance behind her. The girl he called Saber, weird name, was around Shirous age, and her foreign appearance definitely helped in accentuating her beauty. She was a little undeveloped in the chest area, but she was still pretty nonetheless.

She looked at the man walking in front of them. He called him Avenger, even stranger name, and he looked scary. His pale and scarred skin and his white hair made him look like a ghost. He also looked a lot older than his supposed little sister, enough to be her dad. She hadn't even talked to him yet, but she got a creepy feeling from him, like he would stab her in the heart if she said the wrong thing to him. Granted he could probably be a nice guy, a "gentle giant" as they say, but that didn't shake the weird feeling she was getting.

"Where are they staying? If they came all the way here they must have a hotel room or something of that variety?" Fuji-nee asked, and Shirou mentally winced at what he was going to say next.

"Actually, they don't have any lodging, so they are staying with me for the time being." Shirou replied, bracing for the girls possible anger or confusion at letting a mysterious girl live in his house.

He looked back to see Fuji-nee shrugging and Sakura casting a worried glance at Saber. "If they don't have anywhere else to go, then I don't see anything wrong about it. And it's rather kind of you to offer your help too. Right Sakura?"

The timid girl 'eeped' slightly before nodding hurriedly. "It is most kind for Senpai to offer his household to people he hardly knows." Sakura said before giving worried looks to both Avenger and Saber.

" _Come to think about it, she has been doing that at Saber all day. Does she know I'm a Master?"_ Shirou thought worriedly, but shook his head.

" _That's ridiculous, Sakura couldn't possibly be a mage. I would have known by now."_ Shirou thought confidently. Sakura, the timid sweet girl he had known for years couldn't possibly be associated with something as violent as the Holy Grail War.

After they walked back to the house, Shirou got started on dinner while the other four waited for it to be ready while they watched TV. After 20 minutes, a bountiful dinner had been prepared.

While the others dug in, Avenger just stared at his bowl of rice and shrimp. He had eaten weird things before, like how he once ate a hawk that was peeved off at him for no reason…okay he may have accidentally killed it's mate.

But that was because their was nothing else to eat. He was supposed to eat a small bowl of grain accompanied by a strange smelling sauce, and then eat a few measly shrimp?

He sighed before pouring a small amount of soy sauce over his rice, grabbing his chopsticks (who was the genius that first thought that taking two twigs and holding them in a weird position was a reliable way of consuming food?!), grabbed a small amount of rice, and put it in his mouth.

All of his doubts and reservations about Japanese cuisine melted away with the taste of the food. He didn't know it was even possible for some grain with a brown liquid could taste like heaven on his taste buds.

He realized that while he had reached Food Nirvana, the other guest only saw him frozen with his chopsticks in his mouth and dreamy look in his eye. He snapped away from his trance, before picking up a small shrimp and taking a small morsel into his mouth.

Yet again, he was in heaven. He chewed the small fragment of the angels grace and swallowed it before looking at Shirou with wide eyes(or eye in this case). "H-how? When? How?" Avenger asked while his mouth hung open and stars lit up in his eyes.

"Cooking is a hobby of mine." Shirou said with a smile. Avenger was on the verge of kissing this boy on the mouth. He had no idea how but this kid had essentially made a meal fit for a king! And it was a hobby? Bah, this kid should be a full on chef with this cooking ability. This kid could live a life of luxury if he went professional.

Avenger bowed his head quickly before returning to his meal, using all of his willpower to avoid spilling happy tears. The meal went smoothly after Avenger settled down, and no more words were shared. Shirou had started cleaning up, while the others turned on the news and watched as the anchor described another gas leak downtown.

" _At this rate, whoever is responsible for these incidents are making people restless. So many gas leaks happening so quickly is ridiculous, and someone eventual is going to stumble on something they shouldn't have and get killed."_ Avenger thought with disdain at the person's reckless way of obtaining mana.

If he had the capability to, he would set a Bounded Field at a hospital, absorbing the almost dead and brain dead of their mana and feeding off if the rampant emotions that are felt in a hospital. The grief of a man on his deathbed, the joy of a new mother holding their child, all can be stolen and used.

Bringing himself from his thoughts, he noticed that Sakura and Fuji-nee had yet to leave. He figured the full grown woman would have a home to go back to, and Sakura, despite living with that worm Zouken, she would have to go back as well, right?

Granted, if he could keep the girl here it would take a load off his conscience. He remembered the half dead Kairia Matou from the Fourth War. He wouldn't have survived much longer than the Wars end in his state, and he could almost still feel the mana signatures of hundreds of worms feeding on a living human body.

He shivered slightly as Shirou asked Fuji-nee image could walk Matou back to her house and Fuji-nee said she wouldn't be able to for a while.

"Why?" Shirou asked, and Avenger got the feeling he would probably hate the answer.

"Because," Fuji-nee turned off the TV before standing up and looking at Shirou, grinning almost madly. "I'm going to be staying here with you."

Avenger almost choked on his own spit while Shirou gasped and Saber stared intrigued. A non magus staying in a house with one novice magi and his Servant along with another Servant they were allied with. The chance that she could figure out their true identities was far to great of a risk! She would get herself and everyone close to her in the deepest pile of shit humanly possible and more than likely killed.

"Hey Sakura! Why don't you stay here too? I can call your house so you don't need to worry!" Fuji-nee said, causing the purple haired girl to blush and thank her teacher.

"We can use the big room in the back! There is plenty if futons!" The brunette yelled excitedly, and Avenger could be heard snickering slightly.

He looked at Shirou and smirked. "Well well Mister Emiya, it appears you have the foundations of a lovely harem started. I am rather jealous my friend." Avenger said while everyone else blushed madly, Sakura especially looked like a tomato.

"That's disgusting! Shirou is like my little brother you old pervert!" Fuji-nee yelled accusatory at the now disgruntled Servant.

"Old! I'm not old at all!" Avenger yelled.

"Really? Is that why you already have laugh lines and crows feet!" Fuji-nee shot back.

"Well, uh, wait, I have CROWS FEET?!" Avenger exclaimed panicked as he frantically looked around for a window or mirror to check his reflection.

Fuji-nee practically fell on the ground with laughter, before she act fell to the ground with laughter. "You actually believed me?" She asked before cackling again.

"Hmph, Jerk."


	4. Chapter 4: Innocence

**Innocence**

 **Neema Amiry:** _Nice chapter_

Glad you liked it!

(Guest) **Cinder:** _Cool story. Avenger X Saber?_

...Maaaaaaayyyyybbbeeeeeee

 **BlueChappy:** _This story is funny and quite interesting. The banters between Rin and Avenger also how Avenger and Shirou interracted to each other. The funny part when Shirou asked Rin about Emotional Flab and Avenger is laughing! Both boys~ and the tsundere Master are so much fun to read! Keep writing till end! ShirouxRinxAvengerxSaber!_

I'm really glad that you are enjoying this story. But a fourway relationship with the Servants and the Masters, I don't see it. I really don't get harems and polyamorous relationships in general, I honestly believe it's unrealistic and seeing those relationships IRL is insanely rare and often in weird circumstances. I mean, look at Sister Wives! But RinxShirou is my freaking OTP, neck and neck with SakuraxShirou, and AvengerxSaber seems kinda cute. So yeah, I may have two separate two person relationships, but I'm not going to do a fourway relationship with all of them. Sorry!

Now let's get back into the misadventure of a dope, a tsundere, a Qing (new word for female king), and a wackjob.

* * *

"Speaking"

" _Thinking"_

Different Language

" **Berserker Speaking, Powerful Spell or Noble Phantasm"**

* * *

 **Question: Should I keep using the Japanese honorifics?**

 **And: Do you people want to see AvengerxSaber?**

 **LET ME KNOW MY BEAUTIFUL READERS! pls… (T^T)**

* * *

Avenger smiled absentmindedly as he looked over the book in his dreamscape. He was guessing that he was either in a lost vessel created or found by his ancestors, or that this was something he had inadvertently created. He also considered that he was merely looking in a mirror of his own unconscious mind, a small look into his very soul.

He flipped to a new page in the book, and dug in.

* * *

 _First Miracle_

 _To the Umbra family, the events that shaped the universe are all miracles due to the hundreds upon hundreds of slim chances and impossible odds that led to the world's creation._

 _The First Miracle is the difference between Light and Dark, as that led to Hot and Cold, and Good and Evil. The family's magic is unique in that it directly controls and manipulates light and dark, not creating something that emits light._

 _For Example: A mage can create a flame, which creates light. Therefore, the mage indirectly created light. The Umbras found a way to bypass that boundary and create light itself, enabling them to manipulate shadows and light to their advantage._

 _The magic can bend light itself, making it a powerful tool for illusions. They also discovered that Light and Dark also existed in humans, and could harvest it as raw energy. The family reportedly harnessed this power towards the end of the Age of Gods, making it slightly closer to True Magic than the magic of other families that existed around that time._

 _The family's dream was to bypass mortality, and with the power of the Root to create a new world, where True Magics would be commonplace and could be achieved by even regular humans._

 _In short, they wanted a world untouchable by God._

* * *

"Untouchable by God? Interesting." Avenger commented. He heard low humming from behind him, and turned to see the girl from before.

"It almost seems vain, does it not? They wanted a world without the interference of rules and religion, but they were destroyed by those who claimed it was for God." The girl commented as she picked at her nails, a innocent grin on her face.

"Yes, if they only focused on changing this world instead of creating a new one, perhaps I wouldn't be even sitting here and my family would be held as one of the most respected." Avenger said amused.

"Indeed."

* * *

Avenger woke to darkness, and grimaced as he turned on the light to check the clock on the wall. _"11 o'clock? The hell am I awake for?"_

He slipped back on a white shirt, and stepped out of his room and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. As he stepped through the hallway, the moon illuminating the area ever so slightly, he noticed something strange.

A dull light and mana signature was coming from the shed, which was puzzling to the white haired man. He slid open the front door and crept to the sheds small window, and peeked in.

Shirou was sitting down and intently focusing on a pipe in his hand while saying an aria, mana flowing from his palm and into the metal. After several seconds of silent concentration, and the pipe cracked slightly.

"Ah crap, another failure." Shirou cursed with a sour expression, but it faded as soon as Avenger opened the door.

"The hell you doing up? Last time I checked humans need to sleep, we must have evolved very rapidly since my era." Avenger joked as he walked inside the shed and sat down with his legs crossed next to Shirou.

"What'cha doing?" "I'm practicing my Reinforcement magic." Shirou replied.

"Reinforcement," Avenger said, emphasizing every syllable. "I'm not familiar with that type of magic, care to explain?"

"Reinforcement is just that, reinforcing a objects properties. If I reinforced a rock, it would make it harder. If I reinforced a stove it would burn hotter while using less power."

Shirou half expected Avenger to have spaced out or found something else to occupy himself, but he strangely hadn't. He was focusing entirely on Shirou and his explanation, nodding along with the teens sentences.

"Sounds like that could be pretty powerful magic, could you demonstrate?" Avenger asked, to which Shirou nodded and grabbed a small pocket knife.

" **Trace On."** Shirou stated, and Avenger watched intrigued as he saw prana flow from they boys hand and into the knife, but suddenly panicked and hurriedly slapped the knife out of Shirous hand.

"Christ Almighty kid, what the hell are you doing?! Trying to kill yourself?" Avenger questioned sternly.

Shirou threw his hands up in surrender, sweat running down his brow. He had no idea why Avenger had acted so strangely, one second he was reinforcing a knife, and the next he was getting berated by a Servant.

"Care to explain why you're using your nerves as a false magic circuit when you have circuits already?" Avenger asked, his finger in Shirous face while the boy only sweat harder.

"I don't have any idea on what am I doing wrong? I have to make a magic circuit any time I want to perform magic, the same goes for you, right?" Shirou asked.

Avenger grabbed his face and groaned, trying to figure out how the hell this kid wasn't in a coma or dead. "You don't just make magic circuits kid! You have a finite amount for life and you can only get more through artificial implantation." Avenger whispered furiously, trying to avoid yelling and waking the other household members up.

"What normal mages do is comparable to a bucket in a light rainstorm. Over time the bucket naturally refills and the mage takes what they get from inside of it, and if they leave it alone the bucket fills up." Avenger explained, before sticking his finger in Shirous face again.

"You on the other hand, already have several buckets filled to the brim, but whenever you need prana you forge a new bucket every time and when you take what you need from said bucket, you completely destroy it!" Avenger finished with a huff, glaring at Shirou from the corner of his eye, making the boy flinch.

"You keep doing what you've been doing, and you will die. I don't want to see you practicing any magic in any way, shape, or form unless it's absolutely mandatory and/or until you learn how to use your magic circuits. Got it?" Avenger ordered before standing up and walking to the door of the shack, not waiting for an answer.

Avenger cursed Kiritsugu under his breath as he stalked back to the house. _"The bastard only made his son weaker! Not only did he not teach him semi properly or inform him of the chance he could be pulled into the Grail War, he never bothered to see if his own son was actually using his circuits!"_

* * *

Shirou stared at where Avenger just stormed out, puzzled over his friends anger. He could see him panicking or acting concerned over how he, according to Avenger, had been improperly using his nerves and how he wasn't using his circuits, but certainly not angry.

Shirou shrugged before standing up, stretching his arms out as his back popped several times, before sending a quizzical look at the knife Avenger had knocked out of his hand.

" _I'm technically his enemy, but he's concerned for me, why?"_

* * *

The next morning, Shirou was finishing up cooking food while Sakura and Saber ate their own meals, when Avenger stepped in with a wide grin as he almost skipped over to the table and plopped down at.

"You seem happy Avenger, have a good dream?" Shirou questioned, to which Avenger nodded excitedly.

"It was a marvelous dream, a lovely dream I hope to have again tonight. But I'm also excited because food."

"Food?"

"Your food to be precise, now what's for breakfast today?" Avenger asked while drumming his fingers on the table in front of him impatiently.

Shirou smiled before setting a plate of food and a cup of tea down in front of the Servant, who happily dug in. _"Sometimes he's like a little kid in a adults body."_ Shirou though amused as Avenger filled his cheeks with rice before washing it down with tea, all while Sakura stared in slight horror as she watched a full grown man down a entire plate of food in record time. Saber didn't necessarily pay attention because she was busy digging into her own meal.

Avenger stopped halfway in his feast, and looked around confused. Saber was on his right, while Sakura was sitting to the opposite and right of him at the table eating at a slightly more human rate than he was, but he distinctly remembered Shirous teacher had also moved in as well, which he was still slightly salty about with the circumstances.

"Where's the Fujimura chick?" Avenger asked around a mouthful of fish, to which Sakura replied.

"She said she had a errand to run for Kuzuki-sensei, and 'she had to do it tonight or else! So Sakura, I expect you to be nice and get along with our guests!'" Sakura finished, mimicking the woman's voice.

"Kuzuki? Is he tall? Dark hair? Wears glasses and looks like he's staring into your soul?" Avenger asked, to which Sakura nodded.

" _So Kuzuki is the guy that thought I was old! Funny coming from an old wrinkled guy with as much emotion as a board!"_ Avenger thought disdainfully, still sour about how the teacher had called him old. Granted he was over 35 and Saber looked 15 at the least, but just because they walked into the school together doesn't mean he's a dad registering his daughter for school!

Then again, he wasn't even 100% sure how old he was. He knew he wasn't forty, but he was surely older than 30 at the least. Being sent to kill mages for your entire life does kinda screw up your time perception.

Avenger was going to ask what the plans were for that day, but stopped himself once he realized Sakura was still there. He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, and shuddered once he felt the mana coming from the girl.

He was a Caster, wielder of powers that trumped most of modern magecraft, and he had far more sensitivity to magic and magical signatures than Saber and modern magi, and he could feel every single one of the worms inside of this poor girl.

She had hundreds of them squiggling inside of her body, hungering for mana. It was only the fact that she had been dealing with them for ten years that she wasn't flinching or reacting to what was the equivalent of torture.

He looked away, the feeling of the worms moving still lingering in his thoughts. He quickly finished the meal and went to wash his dishes, shooting glances at Shirou every so often.

If he had summoned Saber properly, she would actually be a fairly powerful Servant with his amount of magic circuits and the capabilities of said circuits. But all he had to show for magical talent was half assed Reinforcement and Tracing, and his circuits didn't seem to be working at their true potential. _"Probably as result of that bastard Kiritsugu. He made his son pathetically weak in magical talent and when he summoned Saber, made her weak and frail. I hope you died slowly Emiya, and you died with every single regret crushing you alive."_ Avenger thought as he forcefully scrubbed his plate.

* * *

Saber and Avenger collectively wanted to knock Shirou out or tie him down, he seriously was considering that? The singlehandedly most dangerous thing he could possibly do in his current situation, and he wanted to go through with it, without any supervision no less!

Avenger was the first to speak. "Shirou, of all the things you should be doing, going to school is not any one of them."

"It'll be fine." Shirou replied reassuringly. "There is a bunch of students there during the day, so I won't get attacked. As long as I come back before sundown I will be fine."

"Shirou, the chances are still too great. Another Master won't give up the opportunity of eliminating a rival Master when they don't have their Servant in hand." Saber stared, her eyebrows knit in worry. Shirou frowned, but smiled as he pointed at Avenger.

"Then Avenger can follow me around in Spirit Form. He can watch over me while I'm at school and until I come home, that way everyone is happy."

Avenger frowned slightly, but sighed nonetheless. "Alright, you win. Saber will keep watch here while I make sure nobody stabs you in the back, literally or figuratively, but I'm going to make it look like I'm not even there, understand?"

"I don't want to risk anyone else knowing about the alliance, so to all the other Masters you are going to look entirely alone, comprehend bucko?" Avenger asked, throwing in a little English at the end of his sentence.

"Huh?" Shirou said, his normally dopey face looking even more ridiculous.

Avenger sighed. "Do you pay attention, like, at all during your English class?"

"I'll take the confused look as a no, so therefore get your butt to school so you know what comprehend means!" Avenger yelled halfheartedly as he faded away into Spirit Form.

* * *

" _I promised to watch him during school hours, but why is it so damn boring!"_ Avenger thought with a groan. They were currently in Fujimuras class, and he already knew all this stuff! He literally knew every word in every language on the face of the planet!

He even knew weird words like oxter which means "armpit" and words that are oddly specific, like "quire" which means "two dozen sheets of paper", and word that makes you question the wordsmiths sanity, like "tittynope" meaning "a small amount of something that was left over."

 **(And yes, these are actual words in the English language. Tittynope made me do a double take, but it is legit.)**

"Shirou, Shirrooouuuuu." Avenger whispered in Shirous ear.

"What Avenger, you need to stay quiet and make sure no one sees or hears you."

"I'm booooorreeeeddd."

"I can't really help you there, I have to focus on school." Shirou whispered back. "Why don't you go explore the school or something like that? Occupy yourself."

Shirou whispered a little more to Avenger, but realized that he had left. One second he was trying to annoy the heck out of him, and the next he was gone, poof. Shirou commented under his breath at Avenger being fast, and turned back to his work.

* * *

The sweet taste of freedom…ish. He was confined to the school so he could be at Shirous side at a moment's notice, but investigating the school could be fun and it wouldn't kill him. Well, it could kill him if there was another Master with a stronger Servant, but he really wasn't trying to think about that.

He wandered the hallways of the high school, peeking through walls into the classrooms to see of there was anything interesting happening. Which was absolutely nothing, every one was the same situation, bored teenagers thinking about anything other than school, and their teacher either had their soul practically sucked out of their bodies, or were fresh to the job and still had a few years of life in them before the Modern Education System did its patented form of magic known as "Soul Crushing."

He walked through another wall into the library, and stiffened. He searched through the room in physical form, running his finger along the books, tracking the magic signature until he stopped at a random bookshelf.

He pulled several books out of the shelf, and cocked his head at the symbol that had been painted on to the wood. It was a complex and ancient circle with two squares in the middle, one tilted on its axis onto one of its corners. A smaller circle was in the center, and was surrounded by what reminded Avenger of fire.

He gingerly poked it with his forefinger, and was rewarded with a jolt of energy running into his finger and up his arm. He yelped as he jerked his hand back, and stuck his finger in his mouth to try to relieve the pain.

He growled at the circle as he raised a hand over the seal, and focused his prana, letting his magecraft do its magic. **(A/N: See what I did there?** _ **please kill me**_ **)**

Little sparks of blue energy crackled between his open palm and the circle. The magic that bound the sigil was weakening, the sigil appearing to melt and evaporate underneath the outside interference.

Soon, the sigil was dismantled, but not destroyed. The person who had put it down was capable of pretty damn powerful magic. It wasn't a Master who did it, more than likely it was the Caster class, and one from the Age of the Gods at that.

He put the books back before vanishing in Spirit Form again, and set out to try and break as many sigils as he could.

…

"Why, are there, so many, SIGILS?!"Avenger muttered to himself as he dismantled another one of the damned sigils hidden underneath a students desk on the second floor. He had been going around the school for what? Six, maybe eight whole hours and he was still finding sigils everywhere! Four were in the cafeteria, three were in the library counting the first one he found, and there was five in the girls locker room!

While destroying those particular sigils, he had to wait thirty minutes between destroying one and the other four because it was after Psychical Education and it was filled with teenage girls changing their clothes! Of all the things he was, a pedophile was not one of them no sir. He was the perfect gentleman when he wanted to be, that was a fact!

He sighed before pushing himself up, stretching his arms up high as his back popped several times, a yawn escaping from his throat. _"Now,"_ Avenger thought as he stretched downwards to his toes. _"Where did Shirou run off to?"_

* * *

"Tohsaka! What are you thinking! You can't attack me in the school someone could see!" Shirou yelled to his magus classmate, standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs while she looked down at him, her arm pointed at him pointing at him with her pointer finger whilst her thumb was raised, making the shape of a gun.

"Seen? By who Emiya? Everyone has already gone home." Rin said loudly as if to address her point. "It's just you and me Emiya, so stand still and I'll make this as painless as possible." Rin finished, a small ball of red energy materializing on the end of her finger.

Rin was smirking. Shirou wouldn't be able to escape, and she could eliminate the boy that didn't deserve the gift of a Servant and a chance for the Holy Grail. She willed the Gandr Shot to fire, and the Scandinavian curse obeyed.

The shot was sent flying towards the helpless redhead, capable of killing or crippling him if it hit a vital organ. The shot however, never reached its target as something had intercepted it.

A blur so dark it stood out from the shadows of the setting sun slammed into the spell and cancelled it out, a unstoppable force hitting another unstoppable force,

"If a teenage magus who is heir to one of the most powerful mage families on Earth is threatening you with a killing curse," A deep baritone voice rang from the end of the hallway.

"Try to avoid it next time." Avenger stated exasperated, his finger pointed in a mockery of Rins, his now black hair falling around his head, his red eye glowing in the sunlight. He slowly treaded towards the redhead, his finger never training away from the heiress.

"Rin Tohsaka, what the hell are you playing at?" Avenger questioned.

"You don't have your Servant, and you were going to attack another magus who happens to be the Master of Saber. She could be just outside the school grounds and all Dopey here had to do was call for her and she would have been through that window," He jabbed his thumb to the windows behind him. "And would have put your head on the floor before you can say 'Gutentag arschloch.'" Avenger said, sounding worried for an unknown reason.

"Seriously, you may be one helluva magus, but you're battling the strongest warriors of all history who have all given the equivalent of magical steroids. You'll get yourself killed if you keep acting all high and mighty."

Rin opened her mouth, and closed her mouth, before opening it again. Avenger hadn't tried to attack her, when she was alone without Archer who Avenger could possibly beat in close combat if he was a Saber or Berserker, and instead of killing her or taking her Command Seals, he was lecturing her on combat etiquette.

"I-I don't need to be lectured by my enemy! I will defeat you, that idiot Shirou, and all the other Servants and Masters, and claim the Holy Grail on my honor as a Tohsaka magus!" Rin proclaimed with her finger pointing at the two men.

Avengers lip twitched slightly, but he ultimately sighed again. "Whatever you say Pigtails. I frankly don't give a damn about whatever the hell you are planning, or what your honor is for, but could you stop yelling? My head is going to commit suicide if I hear anymore," he reached up and grabbed his hair with his hands and held them like they were in pigtails.

"'I'm the best magus ever!' 'Everyone else is a bunch of idiots who can never comprehend my power!' 'Its not like I like you or anything, b-baka.'" Avenger said in a high pitched voice before putting his hands to his stomach while cackling like a jackal.

Shirou even cracked a smile and a small snicker at Avengers taunts, until he eventually gave in and began laughing as hard as Avenger. As abrupt as they had started laughing, they both stopped at the flip of a switch when both felt a suffocating feeling of dread.

They both shakily looked back up at the black haired Tohsaka, and she was wearing _that_ smile again. The smile that causes plants to die and babies to scream, the smile that could make Berserker to run away screaming and blubbering, _that_ smile that was now pointed at them.

"Very, very, _very_ , funny Avenger."

With those words, Avenger screamed before grabbing Shirou by his sides and held the teen up in front of him like a shield. "Take the boy! Bu-bu-bu-but just spare me! I'm innocent!" He stuttered out as the boy tried to shake himself out of the Servants iron grip.

Rin dropped her "Mystic Smile of Devastation" to adopt a friendlier smirk, Avenger was proclaiming on how noble it was of Shirou to sacrifice himself for another persons' own good, and Shirou was threatening the use of a Command Seal to summon Saber so she could punch Avenger again.

All three froze when a girl screamed outside of the building. Avenger dropped Shirou on his behind and faded into Spirit Form to give chase, while Rin ran with reinforced legs, leaving Shirou to run with his average human speed.

Rin threw open the doors leading outside, and saw Avenger crouching beside a girl laying on the ground in the middle of the courtyard, holding his outstretched hand over her head.

Avenger was concentrating on the girls' condition, and his senses were going haywire. She was, from a pure magical standpoint was practically invisible due to nearly all her prana being drained, and a Servant was in the woods, but he couldn't get a solid location because of the Bounded Field. Cursing under his breath, he summoned a set of Keys, and charged into the woods, leaping over the fences as he went.

As soon as he exited the school, it became deathly quiet. He looked around the forest, his fingers twitching at every fallen leaf. Suddenly, a metal object shot forward from the corner of his left eye, and it buried itself in his left thigh. It was a large metal nail, with a lengthy chain that stretched into the trees.

He threw a handful of Keys at the direction the blade came from, reached down and snagged the nail with his hand and pulled it full force out his leg, blood spilling out of his wound and onto his pants.

He searched around, his eye sweeping over the treetops until it stopped on a figure crouching in the treetops.

He quickly took in his attackers' appearance as he summoned more Keys. It was a very tall woman, with a skimpy black and purple dress with gloves and long boots and a rather sizable breast that made him feel as if the woman probably had back issues. She had long purple hair that fell to her ankles, and a purple headband placed over her eyes with a red sigil painted on her forehead.

Avenger growled slightly as he materialized his robes and his eyepatches, four Black Keys resting in his hands as he leaped up in the air and towards the grounded Servant, his body twisting in a spiral to deliver a spinning attack.

The female Servant jumped up and threw another nail towards him, which he narrowly batted off with his right hand as he threw the blades in his left. The other Servant leaped back, leaving the Keys to stab themselves in the ground as Avenger landed simultaneously.

"Rather pathetic, running into the trees and leaving your opponent unsatisfied. Were you raised by a mouse?" Avenger questioned as he summoned eight keys and threw them in a circle around him and into the treetops.

* * *

In the trees, Rider grimaced at the large gash in her arm that one of the wayward blades had caused. The bastard hadn't even focused on where he was throwing them, but one of them had managed to hit her. Her vile excuse for a Master never explicitly ordered for her to not attack another Servant, and she was using that loophole to her advantage.

She could hear his heartbeat, smell his blood, and feel every single one of his footsteps vibrations, and she could make him out to be simply standing still in the woods, holding his hands behind his back, not moving or even looking around for her.

She tightened the grip on her Breaker Gorgon before leaping through the treetops, keeping her senses focused on the man.

She leaped to another tree behind him, and launched her nail towards the back of his head. Based on how he hadn't been able to deflect her original attack that was launched at his front, he wouldn't be nowhere as fast as he needed to be to deflect or dodge a direct blow to the back of his head.

The man didn't move until the blade left her hands, time seeming to slow as the blade flew ever closer. As the blade neared only several feet behind his head he pointed his hands' knuckles, still behind his back, upwards, revealing several white sword holsters gripped tightly between his fingers. Silver blades protruded from the hilts, catching the nail in midair and inches away from the back of his head.

"I am Avenger, you are another Servant in this war for the Holy Grail. Therefore," Avenger reached up and grabbed the nail before pulling it with all of his force, a roar ripping from his throat.

Rider was forcefully torn from her perch and towards her assailant. She could "see" his fist pulling back, before slamming square into her face, her nose shattering.

The Gorgon was sent flying backwards, flipping head over heels as she landed on her feet, blood oozing down her face and neck. No emotions were visible on her face as she engaged in a stare down with Avenger.

" _Rider! Retreat now damnit! I can't let you get killed so easily by some random Servant until I give that Tohsaka whore what she deserves!"_ Shinji mentally ordered, his voice just as whiny and pathetic as she remembered.

Rider straightened herself out, Avenger watching her every move like a cat. "I regret to inform you, but my Master has ordered me back, so I must leave our battle unfinished."

Avenger didn't move from his position, and Rider could only detect him lightly flicking his wrist before three blades buried themselves in her heart. She choked on air as she felt the blades began to burn her flesh, before she desperately began to try and wrench the blade out.

Her killer flashed over to her to bury the blade in further while holding her by the throat, his hands leaving marks in her flesh. "Truly you and your Master are fools, you for letting your guard down and expecting a fragment of mercy from me," He slowly twisted the blade clockwise.

"And your Master for not taking advantage of your skills. A fool indeed."

Rider struggled for several seconds, clawing at the arm strangling her and at his face, but she soon hung limp in the mans arms, dematerializing into dust.

Avenger perked his ears at hearing someone enter the clearing behind him, and turned with a nonchalant twist on one heel, and smirked. "One down, 7 more to go."

* * *

Shinji couldn't believe it. That weak shitty Servant his whore of a sister summoned was useless! She died only after one confrontation with one fucking Servant?! _"Damnit, shit, fuck motherfuck! I gotta get out if here, get to the Church and get the hell out of this damn War!"_ The blue haired Matou thought panicked as he stumbled out of the school and down the road, sniveling and shaking the entire way.

* * *

Shirou burst through the door of the school, watching as Avenger jumped over the wall and Rin ran next to a female student laying face down in the middle of the courtyard.

He ran towards Rin, watching as the dark haired girl pulled out several precious gems that glowed beautifully. "What's wrong with her, is she unconscious?"

Rin huffed but quickly focused back on her patient. "No, she's almost completely drained of prana! If I wasn't here with gems she'd probably, no, she _would_ die. Another Servant has to be responsible for this."

"Where'd Avenger go?" Shirou asked, raising his eyes to look into the woods surrounding the school, watching as birds flew from him their perches on the branches of trees as something disturbed them.

"He ran off after the other Servant, he's probably going to at-Hey!" Rin exclaimed as Shirou ran off towards the forest, hellbent on searching for the battle that was surely going down.

" _I have to help! No matter how small or how insignificant, I have to help somehow!"_ Shirou declared to himself as he climbed the fence and ran deeper into the wooded area.

He broke into the clearing just as Avenger stabbed Rider in her heart.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ***dodges lamp***

 **I know it was a little late,**

 ***dodges arrow***

 **Okay, it is VERY late, but at least it's,**

 ***dodges piano***

 **COULD YOU NOT?! PLEASE?! Are you mad at the cliffhanger ending? Yeah, that's kinda dickish, but you gotta admit, this chapter is impressive, right? 5,650 words total. I like writing longer chapters, and I hope you like reading longer chapters. And to all the people reading but not reviewing often, pls review. It makes me happy and healthy. Puts food on the table, metaphorically of course. I ain't getting a penny from this, it's purely because I find it fun. And yet again, the ebd note is a complete mess thanks to my spaghetti brain. I apologize.**

 **-Anthem of the Night**


	5. Chapter 5: Instinct

**Instinct**

 **Raed:** _Cool chapter I can't wait for the next one. AvengerxSaber would be really interesting to read._

Thanks for the review! And yeah, it should be pretty interesting trying to write them. Because Saber is very mature, but still acts slightly childish in some situations, while Avenger is the polar opposite where he is very childish by nature, but is lowkey mature as hell. Oh Great Fanfiction Gods, give me the skills necessary for writing good romance!

 **Neema Amiry:**

Review One: _whoa_

Review Two _: Please keep writing_

Your wish is my command, and whoa indeed.

* * *

"Speaking"

" _Thinking"_

Different Language

" **Berserker Speaking, Powerful Spell or Noble Phantasm"**

* * *

Now onto the next masterpiece AKA disasterpiece.

…

Also, it is only me or is the intro for the second season of UBW a million times more awesome than the first seasons? Or is it just me?

* * *

Avenger and Shirou, after telling Rin about the now dead Servant and where they stood on terms of allegiance, they had started walking home.

Well, Shirou walked while Avenger moved alongside him in Spirit Form. Avenger materialized in front of Shirou, and began walking backwards while looking at the teen

"Tell me, are you suicidal?" Avenger asked.

"What? I'm not trying to kill myself, what gave you that idea?" Shirou asked back.

Avenger sighed as he stopped walking. "Let me think about that." Avenger said sarcastically with his finger on his chin. "Oh yeah! How about the time you almost got killed by Berserker? Or when your first thought on seeing Rin trying to kill you was trying to talk her out of it?"

"And most recently, when you decided to go running into the forest while two Servants did battle? When you had no idea who was winning or losing that particular fight? Sounds suicidal to me." Avenger stated, while Shirou growled and yelled back.

"I couldn't just let you take her on by yourself! What kind of Hero of Justice would I be if I let someone get hurt while I was right there!" Shirou yelled angrily, while Avenger just raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Hero of Justice, that's what you want to be? Who lied to you and said that was remotely possible? Your father?" Avenger questioned sarcastically, but faltered when Shirou didn't respond.

"Trust me boy, saving everyone is a child's dream," Avenger said coolly. "People are eager to believe that there is true good and evil. That is a lie, for those that are believed to be good may have evil intentions, and those that are evil are often trying to do something good. Those that say they are truly good are idiots, and those that say they are truly evil are madmen and only deserve to be put down like a dog." Avenger deadpanned as he turned back towards the street and kept walking.

"Should you follow that path of fools, you will suffer a fate worse than death." Avenger finished ominously as he stalked off towards the Emiya home, knowing that Shirou would catch up.

* * *

He should have expected this, both of them should have expected it. When they both got back, Avenger had quickly darted off to his room and emerged with a black T shirt and plaid pants, disposing of the bloody clothing. When they opened the door to the dining area, Shirou was tackled by Fuji-nee who was going on about a hotpot, and Avenger was suddenly suffering from a severe case of mental backlog.

Saber, the glare she had just sent him made him internally wince. She had been worried, worried about why Shirou had come home so late most likely. _"Were you worried about me too, Arturia?"_ He wondered, his face flushing when he realized what he just thought.

" _Wait, what the hell?"_ Avenger tried to narrow that specific thought pattern, but shook it off. Well, he didn't, Fuji-nee had become so excited over the "hotpot", that she decided the other two residents needed to be just as excited as her, after shaking a bewildered Saber around while Avenger was trying to figure out his thoughts, and then had tried jumping on his back, all while chanting "hotpot" like she was in a trance.

"Hotpot! Hotpot! Hotpot!" She yelled happily, all while Avenger was thanking his lucky stars that he had an above average reaction time, otherwise the brunette would have been flipped over his shoulder and into the ground.

"Yes yes, the hotpot is very exciting, but easy tiger, it's going to be a while until-why are you shaking?" Avenger questioned fearfully.

"Oooohhhhh, you really shouldn't have said that." Shirou whistled from the kitchen, while Avenger stared at the teacher, trying to figure out what he said to set her on edge. He cupped his chin with his hand, and began reviewing what he said to her. _"I was just telling her to calm down, and then I said easy tiger and she is now trembling. Was it me trying to calm her down? No, everyone does that. It had to have something to do with the easy tiger bit, but why would…waaaaiiittt."_

Avenger looked back at the still shaking teacher, and snapped his fingers as he figured it out. "I see, you're made because I called you tiger because your first name is 'Taiga', and they pretty much sound the same." Avenger explained to no one on particular, as the teachers face turned to a shade of red he didn't even know existed, and he could practically see steam flying from the woman's ears.

Shirou winced, and Saber raised her eyebrows and began waiting for the fireworks.

* * *

"Kendo? That's your answer?" Avenger asked irritated. After steaming for a minute or two, she said that he had 'disgraced her' and she had to redeem herself. Or something like that, he had tuned out the screaming twenty four year old fairly quickly. But now here he was in the kendo studio, a shinai loosely held in his left hand as his right scratched the back of his head. Taiga stood across from him, her shinai held firmly in her hand as she stared her opponent down, one foot in front of the other.

"Yes, the only way I can avenge my disgraced pride is to defeat you in combat!" She declared as she pointed her "blade" at Avenger, who was still scratching his head.

"Is this necessary?" Avenger asked.

"Of course it is! With honorable combat I shall make you regret ever calling me that word!"

"You're referring to tiger, right?" Avenger deadpanned, causing Fuji-nee to turn tomato red and growl.

"Prepare yourself Avenger, for your defeat will come this night!"

* * *

"Are you sure Fujimura will be okay Shirou? She is fighting a Servant." Saber asked as she sat politely at the table, to which Shirou nodded and smiled as he stood in the kitchen, checking the hotpot to ensure it wasn't burning.

"Avenger is rough around the edges, but he has a caring heart. I did trust him with my life today after all." Shirou replied, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"Shirou, I've detected tension between you both ever since you returned home. What did he do to get you concerned?" Saber asked dangerously, her tone making it crystal clear that she would kill Avenger if she deemed it necessary.

"After school ended, Tohsaka confronted me and was threatening to kill me." Shirou began, Sabers eyes widening as he talked. "Avenger defended me, and when another Servant showed up, he was the first to attack them." Shirou continued, deciding to omit some of the less important details.

"He chased her out to the woods, and when I went out there to help, she was about to retreat." Shirou said, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. "He, he killed her. Stabbed her when she was defenseless and when she tried fighting back began to strangle her."

"And as we walked back, he said that what I was doing was tantamount to suicide, and that it was a child's dream." He borderline yelled, his nails threatening to cut his skin.

"Shirou," Saber said worried. "Avenger has no sense of honor or mercy. I do not entirely know what he had to do in life, but it stripped him of his innocence and of his childhood when he was far too young. He tries to emulate that innocence and childishness he never had the opportunity to live. So when he comes across something that risks him losing the chance to live that lie, he retaliates."

"As for what he said about your dream, I believe that in truth he is afraid. Afraid that you will become him, a slave to a ideal he didn't create and only realized too late that he didn't want it. He is no monster, more so he is just a man broken by the cruelty of the world." Saber stated, surprising herself with what she was saying. Kindness and support for someone who detests what she is, a knight who believes in honor and pride, and she is disgusted by what he is, a man selfishly seeking revenge and doesn't care what he has to do in order to obtain it.

* * *

"And that makes," Avenger knocked her sword aside and jabbed her in the shoulder with his shinai. "the twelfth time I've beaten you." Avenger said smiling as his opponent fell onto her rear, panting and sweating like a dog.

"So, so fast." Fuji-nee said breathlessly, still trying to comprehend her opponents movements. She had fought at her maximum strength and speed, yet he always was a step ahead. A jab to the head and he was already underneath it and striking at her stomach. A stab at his foot and he had leaped to the side and jabbed at her ribs. A overhead swing and he would parry it and send her stumbling backwards to dodge the attack aimed at her stomach. It was inhuman, impossible speeds and ability, but he had done it. Somehow he had done it.

"H-How? Where did you learn kendo? It had to have been a big shot sensei to teach you such prowess." She asked hurriedly, before she began flooding him with questions as he pulled her up onto her feet. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and smiled a toothy grin. "Would you believe me if I said that's the first time I've ever picked up a shinai?"

"Whaaaaaaa? You're joking!" Taiga said loudly, not being able to believe her ears. "But your combat style was flawless, it was as if you had been practicing kendo your entire life!"

"Well, from a young age I was taught to use swords, but they are a lot heavier than shinai. I've been using lightweight blades for my entire life, so adjusting to this lighter sword is hardly an issue." Avenger said proudly, his pride flaring to new heights at the unexpected praise.

"You have to be joking! That's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life!" Taiga exclaimed, before grabbing him by his collar and dragging him down to her level. "Waaaaaaiiitttt, are you lying to me?" She asked cautiously.

Avenger threw his hands up in surrender, grinning cheekily. "All true, not a lie has come from my mouth this night."

With a 'hmph' and a pout, she released the Servant and crossed her arms. "I still don't believe you, but fine. Leave me in the dark about your teacher like a jerk." She said before sticking her tongue out.

Avenger, not to be beaten, stuck out his own tongue as he walked towards the door of the dojo. "Now, the hotpot should be ready so let's head back in before it gets-" Taiga had bolted out the door as he was talking, leaving him in the dust.

"-cold." He finished, before sighing, a genuine smile creeping onto his face. He never had a place he could consider calling home, but this place offered him a sliver of the normalcy he had craved in life. Taiga Fujimura proved a decent sparring partner and comic relief, Shirou was a great cook and had immense potential, and Sakura was easy to get along with and was kind and gentle, and a second away from the Matous was a second of happiness for her.

Saber, Saber was elegant and honest. He still hoped to strip her of honor and teach her how to live as a true hero who doesn't care about whether their allies call them evil. But, beyond that, she had _something_ about her that made him uneasy. Seeing her made something in him switch on, and she captivated him. Be it her Charisma skill or her beauty, something just made it hard for him to look away.

He was a rat born in the darkest sewer, and she was like the Sun. Something like him could never dream of touching her, but perhaps he could simply bask in her presence and be content with her warmth. Her golden hair, her emerald eyes, the way she held her sword, it was like glimpsing at an angel.

" _Wait, did I just compare Saber to a angel?"_ Avenger suddenly thought, his face turning beet red. _"What the hell is happening to me? Bad thoughts, go away!"_ He thought as he lightly slapped the side of his head and walked back towards the house, the sweet smell of cooked meat and vegetables guiding him.

When he reached the dining room, he noticed that they were missing someone. "Where'd Sakura go?" Avenger asked as he say himself down at the table and tucked his hair behind his shoulders.

Taiga, the exhaustion from the duel seeming to have vanished since she had returned, answered. "After school ended, she said she had tp go home, something about a family emergency."

* * *

 **(A/N: Man, there is a LOT of scene breaks in this chapter.)**

* * *

"When did this room become so cold?" Avenger muttered to himself as he curled up even more, his blanket tucked up to his chin and his legs curled up to his chest. He liked that he had a room of his own, but he only had his body heat to warm it up. And if the room was smaller and insulated more, then maybe it would be enough, but it wasn't small and it had insulation that left much to be desired.

He tried rubbing his arms and legs to generate heat, doubling up on clothing, but nothing was working. _"There always is that option, no no that would be weird."_ He thought, until he shivered again and his hair stood up. _"Oh screw it."_

He picked up his futon and blanket, and walked to the room in the back of the house, where currently Saber and Taiga were sleeping. Quiet as he could, he slid the door open and tiptoed inside, doing anything he could to prevent the two women from waking up.

Unfortunately, he was no Assassin, and he was sending a loud and clear message that he was a Servant to any magically sensitive being, including other Servants. Saber quickly opened her eyes and sat up, expecting a Servant that had snuck in. Not Avenger trying to tiptoe across the room while carrying his futon and blanket, emphasis on 'trying', he was making a racket.

"Avenger?" Saber asked sleepily.

Avenger put his finger to his lips and began shushing furiously, pointing at Taiga with his thumb, who was making a strange purring sound as she slept.

"It's cold in my room, so I was trying to sneak in here where it would hopefully be warmer." Avenger muttered quietly as he carefully laid out his futon across from Saber. "Still cold though." He added as he laid himself down and pulled the blanket over his head.

Avenger popped his head out again, his hand cupping his ear. He looked confused, and then agitated. _"The hell is that?"_ He thought as he walked towards the door and poked his head out. He could, _hear_ something. As others sensed magic signatures through their senses, he was no different. In his case, he could hear them. High energy spells were high pitched, while low energy were low pitched.

This was a strange sounding spell, high pitched but rapidly changing its exact frequency, making his head hurt trying to comprehend it all. But it started in the shed, and went to some destination far in the distance.

Creeping put into the winter air, he half ran, half walked to the shed and opened it up, revealing an empty shed. He cautiously stepped inside, closing his eyes and letting his senses take over.

Strange wire like objects were in the room, going out the window and into the night. Avenger only had two words on his mind, and they summed up the situation up perfectly.

" _Well shit."_

* * *

 **Omake: Kariyas Executioner**

* * *

"I selected the perfect catalyst for you, Kariya." Zouken Matou said dangerously, the pseudo-apostle relishing in the agony of his "grandson."

"He's just like you, a worthless parasite who, like you will, died because of a little girl." Zouken taunted as Kariya barely held onto his consciousness, the worms in his body preparing themselves for the summoning.

"Shut up, you bastard." Kariya growled, as he glanced at the catalyst. It looked rather unassuming, small metal fragments that glowed in the dim light of the basement.

"Oh?" The Matou head laughed as he smirked at the half dead mage before him. "Now now, don't be like that. I'm giving you a chance to save Sakura, wouldn't want to ruin your chance by being rude." He said cynically, acting like he was scolding a child.

"Now, I want you to recite this chant, and with the additional lines, you'll summon Berserker, the Servant of Madness." Zouken said, his horrific voice sounding more like a serpents than a mortal mans.

* * *

" **Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.**

 **The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.**

 **Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).**

 **Repeat every five times.**

 **But shatter once filled**

 **I announce.**

 **Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.**

 **In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.**

 **Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.**

 **You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!**

 **Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos. Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who command those chains."** Kariya finished loudly, the circle reaching its peak energy before releasing all of the energy at once.

Smoke filled the basement, after it cleared it revealed a tall figure standing in the circle. They were completely nude, revealing hundreds of scars that littered his body, a prominent one being directly over his heart. His hair was long and black, falling to the mans ankles. A single red eye cut through the dark of the basement, his left appearing to have been sealed shut. He was staring directly at the panting and bleeding Kariya.

"So, you're the one that called me from the Throne of Heroes." The man stated disappointed. "Are you even sure you will be able to live through the wars completion? If I was you, I would pass those damned Seals to a more competent and," He looked at the blood that oozed from Kariyas left eye. "healthy."

Zouken was pleasantly surprised, not only did he actually summon Berserker, which requires the most energy to maintain and would cause immense pain for Kariya, he summoned one that could actually speak and had reasoning skills, which would require even more energy to maintain and causing even more pain!

Kariya stared at his Servant, pain spreading through him as the added strain of maintaining a Servant hit him all at once, sending him to his knees, coughing up blood.

Berserker sighed before walking over and picking up the sickly man bridal style and walked towards the stairs, casting a quick glance at Zouken. "My Master shall rest here for now. I sense that you want him out of your manor as soon as possible, so as soon as he regains consciousness we shall be gone." He said blankly before returning to his walk up the stairs, casting a annoyed glance at the man in his arms.

" _Only a fool would sentence themselves to this fate for something as foolish as the Grail,"_ He thought as he walked towards the closest the door at the top of the stairs. _"Nothing in this world is worth suffering this much for."_

* * *

His Master was an enigma, Berserker was certain of that. He desired the Grail, if him being summoned was any indication, but to put his body through so much pain…

It was confusing, and he hated it. He expected a simple, ignorant Master who would supply him with energy and then send him out fighting, not a man who was halfway in the grave. He mulled over the options while he watched his Master sleep, trying to create questions and answers to questions at the same time.

His Master groaning and moving around shook him from his thoughts, and he watched as his Master slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, cradling his left arm.

"Master." Berserker stated, causing the white haired man to flinch and look up. Berserker was still nude, and sitting with one leg over the other in a chair, his blank hair now pushed over his shoulders and falling onto his lap. "Are you finished writhing in pain, it was starting to irritate me." Berserker said harshly, looking down upon the Matou

"Yes Berserker, I am finished." Kariya said painfully as he stood up, glancing at his Servant. "Why are you looking at me like that? I understand I ain't exactly pretty, but it's ridiculous."

Berserker stared impassively, before standing up and pushing all of his hair behind his shoulders again, his one eye boring into his Masters soul. "Why? Why are you doing this to yourself? Answer me that, and depending on your answer I'll consider you something more than an annoyance."

Kariya laughed slightly, before looking back up at his Servant grinning. "Does it sound too clichéd to say I'm doing it for a girl?" He said semi-sarcastically.

Berserker scoffed, but when his Master didn't elaborate he looked intrigued. "You, are you serious Master?"

Kariya nodded solemnly, before continuing as he limped to the doorway and Berserker dematerialized. "Her name is Sakura, she was adopted into this family a year ago because they were dying out. The amount of magic circuits was gradually getting lower and lower until it stopped entirely. She was practically sold to this family because that damned Tokiomi decided that sending his daughter to hell was the best option!" Kariya yelled angrily, before he flinched and clutched his side.

Berserker suddenly materialized and helped Kariya up, attempting to put the much smaller mans arm over his shoulder and gingerly helped him down the stairs. "It appears as if I misjudged you, Master. You do have a good heart, and a like-minded mentality. I too desire the Grail to save a girl." Berserker said smiling as he opened up the door that lead outside.

Kariya looked up at his Servant mystified. His Servant, his Servant wanted the same thing? He could hardly believe his luck. "Who is the girl you're trying to save?" He asked, the worms in his body having calmed down.

Berserker smiled again, before making sure Kariya could walk properly before letting him stand on his own. It seems as if he was luckier than his Luck Skill would lead you to believe.

"Her name is Judith, my daughter."

* * *

" _Master, when should I attack?"_ Berserker asked as he observed the battle between Saber and Lancer. After a failed attack on Lancer, who happened to be Diarmuid the Love Spot, Saber had received a nick on her arm from one of Lancers cursed spears, which apparently wasn't healing.

" _Just wait Berserker, I can only manage your Noble Phantasm for so long before it drains us both of energy, and I don't know how exactly I should adjust to accommodate it."_ Kariya said over their link.

" _And Tokiomis' Servant hasn't appeared yet either."_ Kariya finished, Berserker nodding to himself, despite the fact that no one could actually see him.

Berserker and Kariya were jarred from their thoughts as a small lightning storm crashed down on the battleground, a large man on a large chariot yelling loudly as his chariot slammed into the ground, sending chunks of asphalt flying.

"Steady your hands Saber and Lancer! For it is I, Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" The Servant yelled loudly while his cape flowed in the wind, leaving Saber, Lancer, and all of the other silent observers of the battle gawking.

" _Revealing his identity to his opponents! What kind of prideful fool is he?"_ Berserker growled, his body subconsciously prepping for battle. He had dealt with plenty of ignorant fools and monsters in his life, and he relished especially when he was up against a mage who believed that they were all powerful, and the look in their eyes when he just tore through their spells and shields and were now at his mercy was a pleasure unlike any other.

This Holy Grail War was no different than any battle he had fought in, their was enemies, and there was a reward at the end. He was no longer fighting for Judith's sake, now he was fighting for both Kariya and Sakuras. He was always a dagger in the shadows, but now. Now he was a shield, a shield for his Master and those who deserved life.

He leaped from the storage crate to the top of the warehouse, where Lancers Master stood, his very presence screaming arrogance and pride. Their was no Grail War, their was no Servants. Now he was back then, now he was doing his job. Just him and a target.

He materialized in the Masters peripheral vision, standing with no expression on his face with his arms crossed over his chest. All the warning the Master had was a whistle before Berserker was holding him by the throat.

"My my, that was easier than I expected." Berserker said amused as Lancers Masters eyes widened as he recognized that he was being strangled by a Servant. With another laugh, Berserker leaped down to the ground, the mage now being held in front of him as a shield.

With a loud whistle, he stepped into the light, the mage being practically strangled as the Servants and the young Maters eyes widened.

"Master!" "Lord Archibald!" Two voices called out in recognition, Lancer preparing his spears for combat.

"Unhand my lord at once!" Lancer growled angrily at the new Servant.

Berserker merely raised the hand not on Archibald's throat, wagging his finger like he was scolding a child. "Is that anywhere near proper battle etiquette Lancer? One is to announce their name and title before battle can commence, am I correct? As I am already aware of your title, I shall share mine."

He, readjusting his grip to holding Archibald by the collar, bowed low. "I am Servant Berserker! And I shall battle you to crush your pathetic honor!" He said grandly with a sickly sweet smile on his face.

Archibald, his airways now open, quickly yelled out to his Servant. "Lancer, by the order of my Command Seal, kill Berserker!" he yelled out before Berserker threw him aside, letting him smash into a shipping container.

"Well that's no fair, you're now all amped up and I need several seconds to activate my weapons. Do you mind?" Berserker asked Lancer as he mentally called out to Kariya.

" _Master, prepare yourself."_

The scar over Berserker's heart began to emanate a purple glow, before a black substance began to leak from the scar. It spread all over his body, forming black body armor with every inch it spread.

"A Servant who detests honor, their name stripped from them at death, their body scarred from torture they didn't deserve, you must be the False Crusader, the Prince of Darkness, the Last of the Umbra." Lancer said solemnly, the Servants legend playing out in his mind. "In another scenario, I would pity you. But here and now, you attempted to kill my Master. Prepare yourself Berserker, for I shan't hold back." Lancer said as he spun his spears around once and crouched low.

Berserker, his face still exposed, smiled. "I wouldn't change a single thing, Knight of Fianna. As such, I will not hold back as well." He said as a ball of shadows materialized in his hand, forming a skull mask that was missing its right eye and had sharp teeth.

Once he lowered the mask, his posture slouched, before a pained roar ripped from his throat.

* * *

 **(A/N): Yet again, sorry this was so late and it's almost been a month since I last updated. But on the plus side, thanks to the omake, we know what Avengers daughter was named... Crap I'm having flashbacks of the scene I created! It was a little cliché, hardened killer softens when he adopts a little girl, and becomes heartbroken when she dies. But it's a good cliché.**

 **Also, a kinda strange omake where Kariya summoned Avenger as Berserker in the Fourth War. I feel as if they would get along really well, as they're both trying to save someone and it doesn't matter what happens to them. I plan on doing one where Avenger is summoned by Illiya and him being summoned as Caster. Which should be fun.**

 **Liked the chapter? Review it! Found something to be OOC or not making sense? Tell me! Have an idea for an omake? I'd love to hear it. I live off of reviews and support from you guys, so thank you! See you all next time, and I hope you all had/will have a great Thanksgiving.**

 **-Anthem of the Night**


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi there? Miss me?_

 _In sorry about this story being dead for months, if you want someone to thank for getting me back to this story then thank silverbug28 for giving me some advice. I know this story has problems, and I'll never understand_ _how the original got so popular despite it's god awful writing._

 _Anyway, I was never one for sappy stuff, so let get this show on the road once again!_

 _Also, you know how it says it follows UBW in the summary? Let's just say I've decided to throw tat path out the window._

…

"Damn it damn it damn it damn it DAMN IT!" Avenger swore as he began a mad dash following the magical threads. He briefly remembered that Saber was still asleep at the house, but squashed the urge to turn tail and waste time trying to wake the lion. He was running on limited time, and he had to move it before the redhead was killed.

Or worse.

Forcing more energy into his legs, he picked up his pace.

…

It was all black, the place Shirou found himself in gave him the impression that it had always been this way, and would always be like this.

An abyss, the darkness, the void, the shadow.

With a jolt of pain, he woke up to find himself trapped in, wires? Any attempt to move just made them tighter, but he still struggled in vain.

"What a pitiful excuse for a magus." A woman's voice called into his ear, but when he turned his head nothing was there. He looked left and right, searching for familiarity.

His eyes told him it was the temple on the mountain, where Issei lived and was training to be a priest. But his other senses screamed at him that it wasn't something made by human hands. It was impossibly dark, everything had some form of darkness on it, be it the shadows being too dark for mere moonlit shadows, or the moon itself seeming so much darker. It was dark, yet it was not. His head hurt as he tried to understand it.

He almost missed the dark shadows materializing and morphing in front of him, making a disproportionate skeleton before it collapsed and began forming again. It was dark, the very world seemed darker because it existed. He wanted to run, but he couldn't move, nothing would move.

The darkness finally began to resemble a person, and he watched as the still forming figure walked to him. It was barely taller than him, but it carried the presence of a monster, a snarling dog with froth on its teeth would have been a welcome option.

The face materialized into something more human like,but with hollow sockets and mouth., and its lips pulled back in an impossible smile that went from one end of its face to the other. It fluctuated, and another woman materialized next to it. She wore purple robes with a metallic symbol on the top of her cowl, her purple lips in a sinister smirk.

"Truly a pitiful excuse for a magus, like you said Assassin. Even you, summoned with a fragment of your strength, surpass him in every way." She reached up and grabbed him stiffly by the chin, turning his head left and right to inspect him. "From our observations, you've been borderline crippling yourself every time you use your magecraft. You aren't worthy of Saber's power."

Shirou growled. "Are you Caster? The one behind all those incidents around town?" He asked.

The being that he assumed was Assassin made a horrible laughing sound as Caster smiled dangerously. "Looks like we have a hero on our hands. How noble!" She mocked. "Yes, at first I was the one causing all those incident, but when I summoned Assassin she took it to a different level."

"Even now, her magic resides in their bodies, draining them centimeters of their lives. She will continue to drain them until she can use her Noble Phantasm, and then she'll drain even more!" Caster said as the shade began to spread its clawed hand towards the redhead's face.

Nothing, not his inborn instincts, not his ability to understand and trace, nothing would prepare him for what the shadow had in plan.

The dark hand touched his forehead, and his body screamed as his brain was probed by the hand. Saying it hurt would have been a drastic understatement, every nerve was set alight as the darkness entered his mind.

He saw the fire, the souls crying out for salvation. Why did he have to survive, while hundreds more died?

He saw Kiritsugu, smiling at him and his proclamation of becoming the hero Kiritsugu never was. He looked sad, why did he look so sad?

He saw Saber, with her steel armor and her invisible blade, standing over him. Her eyes, they carried life, but they were filled with remorse and regret. Who was Saber? What life did she lead to cause such emotions?

He saw Avenger strangling the Servant at the school, and the Servant investigating where Berserker had struck him. His memory showed his eyes, his eyes were angry and sad.

Assassin tore its hand away from Shirou wailing as Caster looked on angrily. "Assassin! You still need to wipe his memories if you want to control him! Why did you stop!"

The dark beast began speaking in a garbled tongue, frantically whirling its head from Shirou to its hand, before it wailed again. If Shirou wasn't actively trying to break from his loosened bonds, he would have thought it to be a mournful scream.

The bonds restraining him loosened to the point he could slip out, and with what little time he had he ran. Adrenaline filled his veins as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He slipped to the left as a dark blade cleaved the concrete into pieces. He pushed himself back into his feet and kept running, the blade lifting itself from the ground to launch itself at him again.

Four blurs launched past his head, embedding themselves into the dark shadow before exploding and dispersing the darkness.

…

Archer knocked another Broken Phantasm as he kicked off the temple gate, his eyes trained on the shadow figures and Dragon Tooth Warriors that began pouring out of the woodwork. It was easy to infiltrate, but what worried him was that Assassin wasn't at the gate. That probably meant that Zouken had summoned his Servant, but something was telling him that wasn't the case.

"The Peerless Sword, Durandal." Archer intoned as he launched the sword of Roland at Caster and one of the more humanoid shades, who narrowly avoided the holy sword as it exploded into a silver light and pulverized the concrete, the shade dispersing into nothing.

His younger self was running for the gate, and he went to pursue him. If he killed him now, he could blame it on Caster and her strange familiars. He aimed an arrow at the redheads back, but a silver bolt rushing over the boys shoulder made him grimace as it stabbed a shade in its head, destroying it instantly.

The blindfolded Servant had decided to make his appearance, and by the angered and confused expression he had set on the familiars as he pulled out more keys, he was going to stay awhile.

Archer cursed his luck as he sent out a volley of arrows that sent several of Caster's skeletal familiars into the ground.

…

"Avenger!" Shirou yelled in relief.

"Dumbass." Avenger said in reply. He sent out a full hand of keys into a shadow, the holy weapons tearing it apart at it's seems. "I told you to not practice magecraft until you learned how to properly use your circuits." He pulled Shirou out of a skeleton like beast's range as the blade slammed into the ground. "But you just had to keep practicing didn't you?" He asked as he planted a foot through the familiars spinal column.

"Bu-" "Dumbasses don't get opinions! We are getting the hell out of here!" He yelled as he began dragging the redhead by his collar. The gate was only feet away, he was so damn close-A massive shadowy skeleton materialized from the ground, one of its arms sickly and shriveled up and its opposite large and club like.

It howled as it launched its club hand at Avenger, who launched keys into it while backpedaling, throwing Shirou onto his shoulder while the redhead continued to protest.

The holy weapons bounced off its skin as the monster retrieved its malformed arm, two clones morphed into existence behind it, their hands spiked and even more vile looking.

"Son of a-" Avenger yelped as they attacked simultaneously, sending him back several meters and Shirou nearly off his shoulder.

The two clones pulled back, standing at guard by the gateway as more appeared from the ground while the original went to attack.

Shirou pushed himself off the Servant, swallowing dryly as he observed as more shades and Skelton warriors appeared from the ground.

"This can't possibly get worse." Shirou said dryly as he raised his fists, despite him knowing that a punch wouldn't phase these monstrosities, it gave him some confidence.

Three beams of pure magical energy tore through the courtyard, chasing after a scorched Archer who was dodging them by only the skin of his teeth. He vaulted over several skeletons' blades, throwing his twin blades at two shades and scraping past their blades, landing several meters from the other Servant and Master.

"You look marvelous." Avenger stated as he took out several advancing skeletons with several blades.

Archer smirked. "Better than you at the least."

"Assassin!" Caster yelled from her position in the sky above the temple, her cape similar to the wings of a butterfly. "We can't possess the boy if you kill him! Calm yourself!" She roared as her right hand flashed red. At the order, all the shades froze in place, before vanishing in thin air.

" _Were those-"_ "Command Seals." Archer said, finishing Avenger's thoughts.

"A Servant having their own Servant?!" Avenger questioned. "That's completely disregarding the rules! As a witch, you should know more than any Servant in this War about the rules of the Grail War!"

Caster's lip curled. "A witch?" She growled.

"That is what you are after all. I am a heretic and you are a witch." Avenger stated plainly. "Trying to pretty us up by calling us something else is denying our true nature."

Caster's expression became more angry as she grinned her teeth. "You," She breathed.

Archer sighed as Avenger gulped. "Oh dear." Avenger muttered as he saw Caster visibly shake.

" **You DAMN DOG!"** Caster screamed as several magic circles materialized around her. "Die like the rat you are!"

"For the love of the Root." Archer muttered as he dematerialized his swords and stood in front of the group.

" _I am, the bone of my sword."_ Archer intoned as he reached forward with his arm. _**"RHO AIAS!"**_ He roared as a large seven layered dome phased into existence in front of his hand, a flower blooming just behind the dome.

The spells slammed into the shield, but it held strong against the powerful magic. After five seconds of absorbing the strikes, the first petal of the flower cracked, and a small cut appeared on Archer's hand.

"Get the hell out of here!" Archer yelled over the onslaught of magic.

Avenger smiled as he grabbed Shirou and pulled him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Thank you Acha!" Avenger thanked with an over exaggerated wave as he ran to the entrance.

"W-wait!" Shirou protested. "We can't just abandon Archer!"

"We aren't abandoning him. We're making a tactical retreat at an allies idea." Avenger responded as he bounded down the steps of the temple, ignoring the sounds of battle going on behind him.

"You're running away!" Shirou accused. "Running away with your tail in between your legs as Archer gets torn to pieces by Caster!"

"Yes, it is cowardice in some form." Avenger admitted as he sat Shirou down at the base of the steps. "But this cowardly act shall ensure that I can continue my war. It is less running away and more so a tactical retreat, Shirou Emiya." Avenger lightly chastised.

"This cowardice is not just to Caster, it is cowardice to Saber as well. She'll soon discover we are both missing, and I'll look like the villain." Avenger explained.

Shirou grumbled under his breath, still looking back towards the temple. "But, Archer. I won't be able to save him." He said mournfully.

Avenger his hand on his forehead. "If you go back and die, so shall Saber." _"And without Saber, I'm dead as well."_ He thought grudgingly to himself. Without Saber's superior combat skill and stats, he wouldn't be able to beat Berserker as he titled his head and crossed his arms. "Choose, you either walk home and let Archer save himself. Or you go up there and be a nuisance, a target. At your current strength, you can't even beat Assassin in fair combat." He pointed out as he began waking away from the temple and Shirou.

Shirou looked back and forth between the temple and Avenger's retreating form. His rationality told him to leave, he couldn't save Archer with his own power. He couldn't even save himself. It was only through the actions of Saber and Avenger he was still alive. He was weak, he couldn't save anyone without the power to do so.

With feet that felt like lead, he dragged himself after Avenger.

…

"I wasn't angry with you, Archer." Caster taunted. "If you had let me kill Avenger, you could have escaped while my focus was elsewhere."

Archer smirked as the cut on his head oozed blood. "Let's just say the last time I was in a similar position, things were a little different than they are now." He explained.

Caster laughed. "You're saying one thing and then contradicting yourself with the next. Have you lost your mind?" She asked rhetorically.

Archer chuckled dryly. "Probably, my existence would drive most people insane after a few years." He admitted as he summoned his preferred blades.

Caster sighed heavily. "I don't have the patience to kill you right now Archer. My Servant has become foolish, and my plans have been severely damaged since you let Avenger and Saber's Master escape. As such, I'm giving you the opportunity to join my side. At my current power, I can easily maintain more than two Servants." She declared as she outstretched her hand in offering. "It will only be another day before I gain enough od, and then I can finish this war and grant our wishes. Do you accept, Servant Archer?"

Archer sighed, his eyes gaining a lethal edge. "I decline, Medea."

The named Servant visibly recoiled at the revelation, but quickly regained her control. "I see you've discovered my identity, and you have refused my offer. How unfortunate, as I can't let you report this to your Master."

"Don't worry Princess of Colchis, that won't be necessary." Archer stated before he took a breathe.

" _ **I am, the bone of my sword…"**_

…

Saber's eyes fluttered open, her rest disturbed by an unknown force. She pushed herself up, noting how Fujimura was still pleasantly asleep. She looked over, and felt her blood freeze in her veins. Avenger was missing.

She pushed herself up from her futon and as quietly and quickly as she could, she slid open the door to Shirou's room. He was gone, and her heart leapt into her throat. No, she couldn't have let this happen. How dare she let her guard down around that rabid beast!

She ran, not caring if she woke up the sleeping brunette, to the door, sliding it open and shut behind her as she materialized her armor and Excalibur and started running again. Wherever Shirou was, she would find him, and she would pierce Avenger's cowardly and dishonorable heart. She easily scaled the wall surrounding the house, and looked around frantically to see if he left a trai-

Avenger and Shirou were dragging themselves to the manor, covered in soot and their clothes burned.

"Shirou! Avenger!"

Avenger gulped. "Now, before you-" Saber slapped him with armored hand, the metal leaving a mark that instantly began bruising.

"Where were you two! Waking up to discover that your Master and ally have vanished in thin air, and then finding them both scarred by battle! I demand you to explain everything!" She demanded as Avenger stayed still, his head rocked to the side as the red mark standing prevalent from his pale skin.

"Caster kidnapped Shirou, I rescued him. I didn't wake you as he could've died in the time it would've been wasted on waking you up." He turned his head on straight and smirked. "You slept like a kitten, and you were arguably cuter than one as well."

Saber choked and Avenger seemed frozen in place at the comment. The simple comment had infested their minds, putting all of the gears and cogs in a standstill as one registered that they had just said the idle thought in their head, and the other was comprehending that they were just compared to a baby cat in cuteness.

Saber's mind clicked first. "W-what! Flattery won't work on me Avenger! Your sweet words won't cancel out the poison in your veins!" She declared, ignoring the heat on her face.

"You thought it was a compliment, but you were wrong Saber!" Avenger defended, ignoring how his entire face was practically glowing red. "A kitten may be cute and adorable, but it is completely helpless to enemies!" He reasoned, his own mind internally screaming.

" _Why did you I that! Damn it me, you and your emotions! Didn't I kill those all centuries ago?!"_

Saber and Avenger both went to defend themselves again as Shirou watched confused, but were interrupted by a whoop of victory from the manor.

"I knew you weren't sibl-Eh?" Fujimura said confused as she stuck her head out from the gate. "Where'd you guys go? I didn't know there was conventions this late at night." She asked the three as they stood frozen in horror.

"F-Fuji-nee!"

"What happened to your clothes Shirou? I didn't know there was any characters who walk around covered in dirt." She said as she stepped out, completely oblivious to what she was witnessing.

"Uh…well, um, how do I put this?" Shirou said, grasping for straws.

Avenger tiptoed behind the teacher, and raised his arm up slo-"Surprise Chop!" He yelled as he chopped down the center of her head. The brunette froze in place, before she passed out and fell into Shirou's arms.

"Avenger! Why did you do that?!" Shirou asked mortified as Saber looked on for possibly the first time in her life, dumbfounded .

"Spur of the moment decision! At the worst she could have a headache tomorrow morning, but hopefully she'll think this was a dream, and I don't need to attempt hypnotism." Avenger explained as he folded his hands behind his back and rubbed his right hand. _"What the hell even is this woman?! My hand shouldn't even have felt any pain but it's throbbing!"_ He thought, a new fear for the Tiger of Fuyuki placed in his mind.

"I," Saber said as she sighed heavily. "Am going back to sleep." She declared as she walked back the door, her armor dematerializing and leaving her in her pajamas.

Avenger dragged himself after her. "As am I. I feel exhausted." He said as he stretched his arms above his head.

"Wait! What about," Avenger fully entered the home, leaving Shirou holding a softly sleeping Taiga. "Me." He finished weakly.

…

 _Little short, I'll admit. However, the fact that this is finally out makes me happy regardless. It was nice, falling back into writhing these characters again._

 _So, to fans new and old, welcome back to Out of the Black._


	7. Chapter 7

_Lot of reviews last chapter, which makes me happy. I'm glad people are just as excited to read this as I am writing it._

 _Most were encouragement, one was a recommendation, and one was a question._

 _The encouragement was happily received, the recommendation is being considered, and the question was answered via PM._

 _And to those playing the English version of Fate/Grand Order, welcome to hell. We have waifus and the only Craft Essence that matters, all praise Kaleidoscope and it's 80% NP bonus._

…

" **I am, the bone of my sword,"** Archer began, smirking as Caster registered how the mood had changed. It wasn't going to be much longer that she was the one who held the cards.

Four blasts of Rain of Light burned through the air, the red knight expertly flipping and weaving around the magic.

" **Steel is my body and fire is my blood."**

He ran past a small building, the witch assuming flight to chase after Archer. Kanshou and Bakuya were thrown in perfect arcs, cutting through the air before they were blasted out of the sky.

" **I have created a thousand blades."**

Archer took a different approach, quickly projecting several broadswords with anti-magic properties and threw them behind him as Medea launched another volley of Rain of Light.

" **Unknown to Death, nor known to Life."**

The two magics clashed, the effects of the weapons hampering the effects of the spell, but one beam managed to break through the counterattack and graze his forearm. He hissed as he felt the night air on his exposed flesh, but continued dodging and fighting Caster.

" **Have withstood pain to create many weapons."**

"Shut up!" Medea growled as prepared another spell. **"Αερο."** She intoned as the air lashed out at Archer.

Archer altered his momentum as the air took a sizable chunk from his side, but despite the pain from his two injuries, continued his eulogy.

" **Yet, those hands will never hold anything."**

Despite the pain, Archer only smirked as he leaped onto the roof of one of the sleeping areas. "This battle was fun Caster. But I'm afraid this ends now."

" **So as I pray,"**

Rain of Light once again was fired, but it was too slow as the final words escaped his lips.

" **Unlimited Blade Works."**

…

Rin woke up exhausted.

Not in the physical sense, in the sense that her large amount of high quality circuits were _completely drained_. She was running off fumes, a lethal handicap for the Grail war. With as much energy as she could muster, she limply grabbed several gems from her dresser, popping them into her mouth. They burned as they went down her throat, but she ignored it in favor of standing upwards.

The door popped open, the red cloaked knight stepping with a silver platter of tea. "Ah, good morning Ri-" "YOU!" The brunette yelled as she leveled a crippling glare at him.

" . ." She asked very slowly as she stepped towards her Servant, who had stopped in the doorway.

Archer let out a long sigh, before sidestepping the angry teenager to set the tray on a table. "I had gone scouting last night, and I have some very interesting information."

"Why are my circuits drained? Did you-" "Use my Noble Phantasm to beat Caster?" He finished, smirking as Rin froze at the sudden information. "Well, technically I used it twice. I underestimated the power of her spells." He admitted as Rin began coming to terms with the sudden information bomb.

"Y-you beat Caster?!" Rin screeched out. "At her stronghold?!"

"Well, she wasn't planning on leaving for groceries any time soon." He joked, before his expression grew stern as he sat his Master down. "However, that doesn't end our troubles at the temple."

"Despite the rules," He continued as he poured the warm Earl Gray into a teacup. "Caster summoned her own Servant, Assassin. This Assassin has Caster-like abilities, utilizing a shadow magic, and has considerably fortified the compound in the last ten hours." He finished as he handed the cup to his still mostly frozen Master.

She stayed still, the cup in her hands as steam lightly wafted into the air. She slowly brought it to her lips, taking a long sip before setting it on a saucer placed in advance.

" _WHAT?!"_

…

The shinai was thrust out of the teenager's hands as Avenger planted a light punch in his solar plexus.

Shirou flew back four meters before landing with a dull thud, hacking his guts out.

"Too slow." Avenger criticized as he picked up his opponent's dropped sword and walking closer, before dropping it by Shirou's head. "Again."

He gritted his teeth from the pounding in his skull and the ache in his gut, but he still grabbed the handle of the shinai. Using it as a crutch, he pushed himself on his knees, ignoring the burning in his limbs. With a burst of energy, he leapt from his position on the ground towards his opponent's legs and swung. Before he got within ten centimeters, the shinai was knocked aside and Shirou was on the ground again.

The Servant crouched down, looking carefully at the bruised teen. "Attacking me while my guard was down, and aiming for a spot that would impede my movement," He smirked. "Well done. Seeking an opponent's weakness is the key to victory." He said as he offered his hand which the boy graciously took.

"It's a genuine surprise, even at my minimum effort you caught me off guard." Avenger praised.

"Minimum effort?" Shirou asked. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, my worst is ten times the average human's strength, so yes." He replied, not missing a beat.

The door slid open, Saber looking at the two with slight disappointment on her face. "If you wished to spar, you could've talked to me. I am a Saber class after all."

"Yeah," Avenger began. "But you're way too stiff. You never do a 'spur of the moment' or 'I'm about to die' strike. If we're going against the guy who was infamous for his warp spasm moments of rage, and the hulking monster that is Hercules, we need all the cheap shots imaginable."

Saber grimaced, but sighed. "I came here to tell you, Rin is in the kitchen. I'd advise caution, as she seemed on edge."

"Define on edge."

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE RICE COOKER?!" Rin's screams answered Avenger's question.

"Oh dear."

…

In the kitchen, Rin tore through the cabinets in a mad frenzy, Archer debating between hiding out on the rooftop or attempting see what set his Master off. After she had yelled at him, she had hurriedly dressed and had frantically ran to his younger self's house.

The door slid open, the trio staring with confusion and fearful intrigue.

"R-Rin?" Shirou asked as the brunette froze. "What are you doing?"

Silence reigned as she slowly closed the cabinet, and pushing herself upwards. Despite her being one of the shorter people in the room, she seemed ten feet tall with the aura she gave off. She turned around, with a simple smile on her lips.

It was the most terrifying thing he had seen in a long time.

"Oohhhhh, you know." She said, the same terrifying poison of her smile oozing in her voice. "I decided that I could make you breakfast, as we all could use a break from what happened last night."

Avenger raised his hand. "Permission to speak?"

"Granted." She said like a military officer granting a lowly sniveling private the honor of speaking in her presence.

"What happened last night was all Shirou's fault and if you have to murder anyone I recommend him." He responded quickly.

"What?!" "It's for the greater good Shirou! I shall remember your sacrifice to the great terror of Japan to save my life!"

"Quiet." Rin said, and her order was followed with no hesitation.

"Now," she pointed at the table. "Boys, you all sit down."

Avenger and Shirou both sat down, but Archer remained standing.

"You too Archer."

He sighed and sat down at the table, resisting sending a glare at Shirou for getting him in this mess.

She calmly sat down at the head, legs crossed and that smile still on her face. "So, Archer has defeated Caster, but I was informed we had even bigger fish to fry with Assassin being possibly of equal power to the late Caster. And he informed me that the only reason he killed Caster was in defense of you two." She tilted her head innocently. "Care to explain why you were at Caster's compound in the middle of the night, without Saber?"

Avenger pointed at Shirou frantically. "His fault! Not mine!"

Shirou bristled at the comment, but responded anyway. "I was practicing in the shed," "Told him not too!" "and I fell asleep. Caster kidnapped me, and was trying to steal my Command Seals." "Didn't know that was even possible!" "Archer came in to rescue me, Avenger arrived soon afterward. After fighting for several minutes, Archer used a shield to aid me and Avenger's escape." Shirou explained, ignoring Avenger's comments.

"A shield?" Rin asked, Archer stiffening. "Was that perhaps your Noble Phantasm Archer?" She asked, and Archer mentally thanked she hadn't asked anything that could reveal his identity. Just say his Noble Phantasm was a shield and he was free- "I think he actually has two." Avenger commented.

" _Shit."_ Archer thought.

"When I was running towards the temple, I saw a giant very bright light, and it wasn't from Caster or Assassin. Then once I was there, he used a giant shield, I think it was called Row Ass." He said seriously.

Saber quietly snorted, and Shirou sighed as Rin giggled. "I think you meant, Rho Aias, Avenger." Shirou said exasperated.

"Whoops." Avenger responded sheepishly.

Rin coughed as she regained control of her self. "Anyway, if Archer used Rho Aias then that would make you Aias the Great." She frowned. "But Aias used an axe, not twin swords. Nor did he use a bow."

All eyes went to Archer, who narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you Archer?"

…

The once pure and elegant Ryuudou Temple was gone, a shadowy putrid fake of its true self. The monks inside had all "mysteriously contracted an infection", a cheap way to prevent entry and keep her prana batteries close at hand.

Loathe she admit it, but that Greek whore had been a good source of energy, and had she not gotten herself killed by that red knight, she would've made a useful pawn. However, she had lost not only a tool, she had lost her main energy source. She managed to sustain herself with her bodies, but she had burned out forty of them, leaving her only the temple residents and four left in weak condition.

Perhaps her black heart had spared the temple because she had grown soft, that one boy with glasses tickling something she thought she'd lost. He shared _his_ eyes and _his_ smile, and as much as she hated him she couldn't deny that small time had been the best of her life, even if that just led to her crash and burn.

But the most troubling thing that had her mind ensared was that man in the brat's mind. While the little monk had his eyes, that man had hers. The eyes that no matter what form they took, possessed a dark and powerful tint of the Dark.

She sighed, shaking her head, her damp ebony hair sticking to her head and shoulders as she laid deeper into the small bath, her mind racing. She needed to contact this fellow Child of Darkness, and with their shadows combined the Grail would be hers.

She motioned the door to open, smiling in only the way she could as the bespectacled teen entered the small bathroom. His eyes were empty, but his body would twitch and shudder as his soul fought for control of his body. It was a testament to his spirit that he still retained a hair of consciousness, and that made him a far more interesting tool than her other's.

"Issei, I have an order." She said as she laid her pale arms on the edge of the bath. "In one hour, you shall find prey, and consume them." She said casually.

"But in that one hour before then, I require something of you." She said, a small shadow rising up and caressing the teen's face. A brief flash of horror crossed his face as he realized what she meant by "something".

…

"Who are you Archer?" Rin asked. Archer cursed himself for letting the two escape the night before. If he had just used Durandal at Shirou, he could have avoided this mess. He leveled his glare at his younger self. If he was fast enough, he could plant a dagger in his head, make sure he never became what he was now, it would only take a-everyone stiffened at the sound of the doorbell resonating throughout the house.

"I'll go check it out." Shirou said as he began to stand up, only for Saber to pull him back down. "No, given the events of last night we can't afford to be not cautious."

"Avenger, come with me." Saber said as the tall Servant stood up and nodded. "Shirou, ensure that Fujimura is safe while Rin and Archer prepare for anything." She said, her regal tone leaving no room for arguments.

"Right." Came the resounding reply, Archer only grunting as he stood up.

The walk towards the doorway felt a lot longer, Saber keeping her invisible sword at the ready as Avenger kept multiple hilts hidden behind his back.

The knocking persisted, the sound repeating over and over in a robotic pace.

They carefully stepped into the entryway, Avenger standing off to the side as Saber carefully and slowly opened the door.

Standing in the doorway, was a teen with dark hair and pale blue eyes. However, his appearance was disheveled and haphazardly put together, with his school outfit's shirt being unbuttoned, and his belt very loosely tightened.

"Is this the residence of Emiya Shirou?"

...

 _Criticisms? Comments? Incoherent blubbering? All of the above? Let me know in a review!_

 _See you all next chapter!_


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